A New Hero Rises
by DC111
Summary: With selflessness comes sacrifice. When Sonic's heroic move gets him trapped in Eggman's base, Tails vows to return the favor and find him, but the fox has a shocking surprise waiting for him at the heart of Eggman's base... OLDFIC
1. Prologue

**YES! I've been dying to put this up, and now it's finally time! The long awaited sequel to Capture the Fox! This is only the prologue though. It's a scene that will most likely appear in the story. I will start putting up the actual story in a few weeks when I can get a good few chunks written and put together the way I want them. Also, for you SonAmy supporters, you'll see more of that in this story than you did in the last! **

**But for now, here's the prologue! I hope to see some of the readers/reviewers from Capture the Fox again, along with new readers. Enjoy!**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, or other related characters. They belong to SEGA. NOT me. SEGA. Got it?**

**Author's note: As I said before, this is the sequel to Capture the Fox, which means that if you haven't read that, there will be a few things in this story you will not understand. I suggest reading it. If not… well, the main plot of the story will still make sense, it's just a few flashbacks and stuff on the events of Capture that you won't understand. Okay, I've talked long enough now. Here we go!**

PROLOGUE:

Sonic's breathing came out in hard fast exhales as he struggled to catch his breath. "I'm giving you the choice, Sonic! Don't try and stop me!" Eggman yelled.

Ignoring this, Sonic dashed towards Eggman's Egg-Walker and was about to start spin attacking… but just then the Eggman jerked the control stick and the Egg-Walker looped around behind Sonic. "Huh? What the…" Eggman's swift move had caught the hedgehog off guard, and by the time he realized this, it was too late.

By the time Sonic had spoke, Eggman had already pushed a button in his machine that extended a claw and controlled it in Tails' direction. Sonic didn't have time to register this, once again, until it was too late.

"Ah!" Tails yelped in fear. Just as he turned to run, he was grabbed around the waist by the metal claw and picked up into the air. Instinctively, he immediately started struggling to break free.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Eggman said, waving a finger. "Let's squeeze a bit harder, shall we?" Eggman laughed evilly, and pressed a button.

The claw squeezed Tails even tighter, and he almost immediately stopped thrashing; his movements were beginning to hurt him as he fought against the pressure of the claw's squeeze. He knew he couldn't get away.

"Let him go!" Sonic yelled, but to no apparent use.

"I'm taking him with me, and there's not a thing you can do to stop me." Eggman said, controlling the claw towards a small cage that he could attach to his Egg-Walker. "And this Walker has a flying ability now! I could just put him in that cage and zoom off if you don't behave yourself, Sonic!"

_This looks just like last time… _Sonic thought. Boiling with rage, Sonic began speaking quietly, but there was a threatening connotation in his voice. "Put him down. Now."

"Sorry, but you wouldn't reason, so I'm making the choice! I'll turn him into the evil that he was again, with a new plan so that Tails won't disobey me this time, for SURE! Or maybe… I'll just torture him! That'll teach you to try and stop me anymore!" Eggman threatened.

Sweat dripping from his head, realizing that Tails was going to have to suffer all over again, Sonic closed his eyes in deep thought… but after no more than five seconds, he made his decision. "Put the fox down and—" he repeated. Eggman put his hand up, signaling for Sonic to be silent.

"I already told you—" Eggman started.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Sonic bellowed irritably. In no mood to try and make a complex deal or do much explaining to his side of the plan, Sonic cut to the point. "Whatever you want to do to Tails…" Sonic began, but paused after seeing Tails gasp in disbelief.

_Sonic's not going to let him take me, right? Right? _Tails thought desperately.

Sonic winked at him reassuringly.

"…You can damn well do it to me first!" Sonic finished firmly.

"Sonic…" Tails breathed, clearly a little more than touched. "You can't… I don't want you to go through what I did, Sonic." He spoke the words as calmly as he could, but his throat was tight and his voice was shaking. Tails attempted to speak in regular tones again, but this time lost all control. "You _CAN'T_, Sonic!" He pleaded, tears slowly making their way down his face. "I don't want you to! You'll end up getting hurt or turning bad like I did!" Tails paused for a moment, then turned a bitter glare on Eggman, growling under his breath. "Eggman! I won't let you hurt either of us anymore! You leave Sonic alone!"

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about me, Tails." Sonic assured him.

Tails jerked his head back in Sonic's direction. "But what if he hurts you?" Tails argued.

"You know I can handle it. I'll be okay." Sonic said, smiling reassuringly. "Trust me, buddy!" Sonic then looked over at Eggman. "Let him down from there." Eggman obeyed, loosening the claw's grip and letting Tails fall to the ground.

Tails stood up and stared at the hedgehog in disbelief. A mere two weeks ago, he had tried to kill Sonic – unintentionally of course – and had caused him some of the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life, physically and emotionally. He had gotten Sonic in an awful lot of trouble over the last two years as well… but here Sonic was, taking Tails' place as a victim of Eggman.

"I'll be all right." Sonic said again.

Tails hesitated, closing his eyes. He opened them after a few seconds, and nodded, forcing a smile. Sonic always managed to come through, after all. "But, Sonic…" Tails walked up to him slowly. Eggman pointed a missile launcher at his head, just in case Sonic tried to snag Tails and run. He then whispered something in Sonic's ear: "Sonic, I'm gonna come find you. You know that, right?"

"Don't. It's too dangerous."

"I trusted you when you said you'd be okay." Tails responded almost too quickly, as if he had been practicing the line. "You can trust me too, Sonic, can't you?"

The question caught Sonic off guard. "Tails, I… no. Just, no. It's—" Sonic sighed dismally, failing to counter Tails' statement without making up an excuse. "Tails, whatever you're going to do, be careful. Okay? Don't get yourself into too much trouble." He smiled down at the fox. Tails looked like he was about to cry. Sonic gently ruffled the fur on the young fox's head.

"Sonic… I'm scared! Can't we just beat him? I'm more worried than I was when he captured me! 'Cause I don't know what'll happen to you. When it was me, I knew what was happening to me, but…"

"Tails, relax!" Sonic said as light-heartedly as he could, hoping he sounded more relaxed than he felt. Although slightly nervous, he felt worse for Tails than he did for himself.

Tails nodded again and tried hard to regain calmness. Sonic turned to face Eggman and walked slowly, but not unconfidently, in Eggman's direction. Tails gulped. "Bye Sonic." He said simply, forcing a smile. He slowly raised one hand and waved.

"See you soon, Tails," Sonic replied, looking over his shoulder for a split second. He walked directly up to Eggman's Walker, and looked at the small, three-by-three cage next to it. Eggman put his Walker into hover mode and attached the bottom of it to the small, metal prison. "Lower your weapon from his head. I won't get in that mess of a cage of yours 'til you do. Let Tails get out of here and I'll come." Sonic said calmly. He wasn't one to back down on a promise, even if he put himself in danger by doing it. But Eggman didn't know that.

"You expect me to believe that! How about this… you step inside that door and I _won't_ shoot Tails with this missile!" He said impatiently, now pressing a button to lock his aim on Tails.

Sonic sighed miserable defeat. Deciding to give in, he looked directly at Eggman, then at Tails, then at Eggman again. "If it'll make you happy, I will! But don't close that door until I can see that Tails is out of sight!" He warned. He turned to face Tails one more time, who still had the hand he had waved with raised next to his head absentmindedly. "Tails, run now, before that Egghead changes his mind!"

Dropping his hand, the fox immediately obeyed as he turned tail(s) and ran. That was the last time he would see his hedgehog hero for now, but he had to take advantage of what Sonic did for him, and it was now or never. He ran far, using his namesakes for extra speed. He ran around trees and jumped over broken branches and pits as he dashed through the forest. Why he was in such a hurry, he didn't know. He just knew it was time to run. He decreased speed only when he started losing his breath, and began to slowly come to a stop. And when he turned around, he saw Eggman and the prison he had Sonic trapped in blast up into the sky.

"No!" His emotions were mixed between fear, frustration, and fury. "Darn it… why does this always have to happen?" Tails cried openly, falling to his knees in the dirt. "Why doesn't Eggman just leave me alone for once in his life? Now Sonic's gone!" Hot, angry tears spilled down Tails' cheeks. He was tired of Eggman. He had had about all of him he could take the last time Eggman had tried to take over the world, and he was nowhere near ready to go through anything like that again. "I… I can't be like this! Not now. Sonic needs me! He just saved my life, and that wasn't the first time either. It's… it's my turn… to stop Eggman. I have to save him before Eggman hurts him. It's the right thing to do… but how? Where should I start…" Tails sobbed. He couldn't help being worried about Sonic. He couldn't convince himself that Eggman wasn't going to do the same thing to Sonic that the he had done to Tails himself only a few weeks ago. "I don't know if I can do this alone or even if I can do it at all, but—but I've got to try! He did the same thing for me.. I have to try for Sonic!"

**Well, that's it for the time being. Short, I know, but the chapters will be much longer. After all, the prologue's not supposed to be to awful long. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of the idea so far! …And some of you may think that this is going to be the same story as Capture the Fox but with Sonic's and Tails' roles switched. It's not. I'm adding a different twist to this story that involves what I said in the summary about Tails being in for a shocking surprise at the heart of Eggman's base. If you enjoyed Capture the Fox, you'll surely enjoy this one as well! And don't forget I'm open to suggestions and tips if you have any ideas! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1: Back to Normal, For Now

**Now for the real start to the sequel! Sorry it took so long, but as I told the people who reviewed, the waits for my chapters may be longer since I have to type this and put it up from a library because my computer has a virus that we just CAN'T seem to get rid of. I don't know how long it'll be before I can use my own computer again, but until I can, expect me to put up chapters at very random times. I'll try and update once a week.**

**Also, for new readers, if you haven't read Capture the Fox, which took place before this story, there may be a few things you don't understand, so I suggest reading it. If you don't want to take the time to read it first, then… oh well, you'll still understand this one pretty well. Okay, here's chapter 1!**

CHAPTER 1: Back to Normal… for now.

Sonic stretched as he awoke on the roof of Tails' workshop. The sunrise was quite a sight to stare at, and it often made Sonic glad that he always ended up waking up so early. "Ah… hm, I wonder if Tails is awake yet. I doubt it, he sleeps in a lot." Sonic said to himself. "No point in getting up yet, then. Too early to do anything."

It had only been one full day since they had returned to Tails' home. Although Sonic was happy Tails was okay again, life back to normal was somewhat boring. He was beginning to hope Eggman would come around soon; he needed something to keep him busy. The only excitement he had had yesterday was that trip to the doctor's. "Hehe!" Sonic chuckled at the thought of it.

It had all started yesterday morning. He had let Tails get a good night's sleep the previous night since he definitely needed it after what he had gone through the day before, not to mention the last few weeks. He had suggested taking Tails to the doctor's office to get checked out, as he wasn't in top-notch condition. Although Sonic had used Chaos Powers to heal the young fox, he didn't manage to heal him fully. In fact, he only managed to heal him enough so that he could stay conscious. When they had returned to the workshop after the whole Dark Tails deal ended, Sonic had examined Tails thoroughly before letting him go to sleep and had discovered many bumps and bruises. Tails had also seemed to have a hard time walking throughout the day, and when Sonic had first tried to wake him up that same morning, he had been unconscious in his sleep. The poor hedgehog didn't manage to get Tails to open his eyes for nearly three hours after that. These discoveries resulted in Sonic eventually taking Tails for a check-up around five o'clock that evening. Tails made no big deal out of it at first… the doctor just examined him, checked the gash on his arm and the one across his abdomen, and x-rayed him twice. And Tails had let it happen with no problem… it was when the doctor said the cut on Tails' arm was infected that got Tails worked up. Or to be more precise, Sonic thought, when the doctor brought out the syringe saying that it was the only way to get rid of the infection. This had been the first time Sonic had discovered that Tails was needle-shy, but then again, who could blame him after all he'd been through? _Yeah, after all, the kid's only six, _Sonic thought to himself. _But still, it's just a freaking needle! He didn't have to scream, cry, and kick me in the gut saying that I shouldn't have taken him here in the first place. Not to mention, I'm sure the doctor's got a pretty big bruise on his arm now. Tails practically squeezed the life out of it when he tried to hold the shot away from him. Heck, the poor guy had to get two more doctors in the room to hold him down! But I guess I shouldn't be so mean about it… I mean, everyone's scared of something, right?_

"After all, I probably would've put up an even bigger fight to someone who was trying to give me swimming lessons!" Sonic thought out loud.

But to Sonic, the amusing part of Tails' situation was the fact that while he had been attacking everyone in the room and screaming loud enough to pop the hedgehog's eardrums, they gave him the shot and he didn't even notice until Sonic updated him on the fact.

Sonic chuckled again. It hadn't been so pleasant at the time, but it was a funny thought to think back on. "Heh, not for Tails, though!" Sonic stretched his arms above his head as he stood up before jumping down for the roof.

Out of the blue, a thought occurred to him: "I wonder where the Chaos Emeralds are?" He spoke aloud. "Hm. Why is it that whenever they come together all at once, they end up disappearing again? It's like they automatically scatter. Oh well. I just hope they don't fall into the wrong hands."

Sonic stretched one last time as he yawned. He then walked into Tails' house to see what he was up to. Upon entering his room, he saw that the young kitsune wasn't there. "Tails? Hm, wonder where he went so early? Oh, wait a minute… didn't he mention something yesterday about this…

_"Thanks a bunch, Sonic!" Tails said sarcastically. "You never told me he'd give me a shot!"_

_"Hey, I didn't know. And even if I did, it wouldn't have been a good idea to tell you; then it'd be even harder to get you there!"_

_"Hmph. I'm just happy it's over!" Tails said, still somewhat upset._

_"Tails, you didn't even feel it. I'm sure you were through much worse pain on the Black Hawk," Sonic pointed out. He realized he'd made a mistake when Tails hung his head._

_"Sonic, I'd feel better if we didn't talk about that so much… it's not a good memory. I don't ever want to think about that. Please, Sonic." Tails said quietly and sadly._

_"Right. Sorry about that, Tails. Sometimes I forget that." Sonic said apologetically._

_"It's all right, don't worry about it. But now that you brought up that idea, what do you think happened to the Chaos Emeralds?"_

_"How should I know? I couldn't find them after the… uh, battle." Sonic replied carefully, as to not make Tails think about it too much._

_"I know, maybe we can go look for them tomorrow in the X-Tornado!" Tails suggested._

_"Eh, I'd like to take a break tomorrow. I haven't got much sleep yet either, you know. I just need a one-day break, then I'll be good to go."_

_Slightly disappointed, Tails hung his head a little more, but perked it right back up almost immediately. "Okay, but I'm gonna go and look in the morning around that area, just to see if I can find anything. Is that okay with you?"_

_"Sure, if you want to. I'll go see how Amy and Cream are doing. Cream got hurt in the fight against all of those robots that came out and attacked us from that ship, and I don't think she's completely well quite yet."_

_"Oh, she did? Tell her I'm sorry… after all, I was the one who sent those robots." Tails said._

_"Don't worry, I'm sure she understands!" Sonic replied with a wink. "If anyone owes her or anyone else an apology, it's Eggman."_

_"Yeah, guess you're right," Tails said, though he still wasn't fully convinced._

_Just by this conversation, Sonic could easily tell that Tails very much dreaded thinking back on the events that took place while he had the memory chip inside him. "Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, it's all over now. Everything'll be back to normal. And trust me, I won't let Eggman do that to you again. I promise!" Sonic said, trying to change the subject._

_To his relief, Tails smiled. The young kit knew that when Sonic made a promise, he always followed through will it until the end, no matter what the cost. "Thanks, Sonic!" Tails said contently._

_Sonic grinned at him. "No problem. Now let's get some sleep, we both need it."_

_"All right."_

_"Then you'll be able to finally take the X-Tornado out again tomorrow!" Sonic reminded him._

_"Hey, that's right! I can search for the Chaos Emeralds in the X-Tornado! Good idea, Sonic! Man, I haven't flown that in ages!"_

That was right, Tails was looking for the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic exited the house and opened the garage. Sure enough, the X-Tornado was gone. "I can't believe that kid already wants to be on the run again. After all he's been through—wow. Just, wow. I guess he wants to make sure Eggman doesn't get the Chaos Emeralds before we do." Sonic said to himself. He didn't blame Tails, either. He had a feeling that Tails was still a bit scared of Eggman after what he'd done to him, and just wanted to make sure Eggman didn't get the chance to do something like that again. That was probably why he was trying to see if the Chaos Emeralds were anywhere near.

"Ah well, guess I'll go check up on Cream. Maybe she's doing better." Sonic said as he broke into a jog toward the city.

It was nice… to be able to appreciate the sights he saw for what they were again, and not just rush by them and ignore them because he had to stop Dr. Eggman again. Not that Sonic didn't see it as fun to consistently stop Eggman's plans; it was always worth it assuming you got a well-deserved break afterwards. Looking at all of the city's beauty or taking a pleasure run through a wide open field just for the enjoyment of it was something Sonic had done very rarely since the day Tails had been captured. And so Sonic took his time to Amy's house. After all, Cream wasn't going to get any better or any worse if he arrived there quickly or late. He might as well just make the most of his time while he could—he felt he deserved it. Not that he didn't want to ever have to deal with Eggman again, that was not what Sonic was feeling at all. In fact, he was rather looking forward to it. Because even though it kept him so busy, and he almost always got injured in some way, shape, or form, that was all okay with Sonic. He could take it time and time again. Perhaps that was what kept him from ever giving up on stopping Eggman: his persistence and optimism. It kept him going, and more importantly, kept him going happily and willingly. He was a hero who wanted to do his job.

Sonic soon found himself racing through the bright green trees and fields along a dirt path that lead to Amy's house. He sped up when he saw the smoke rise from her chimney. He arrived shortly, about ten minutes after he'd left Tails' workshop. Not bothering to knock (he knew Amy wouldn't mind seeing him), Sonic opened the door and walked right in like it was his home. Amy was sitting alone at a table in the living room, sipping at her tea.

"Hiya, Amy!" Sonic said brightly.

Amy looked up. "Sonic! Great to see ya! What's up?" She said, on her feet immediately.

Sonic took an involuntary step backwards, hoping Amy wouldn't try to squeeze the air out of him. "Uh, I just wanted to see how you two were doing. Where's Cream? Are you still taking care of her?"

"Yeah, her mom let her spend the night for the last two nights. Cream wanted to, anyway. I think it's a good place for her to recover for now." Amy replied.

"How is she?"

"Not bad… obviously it'll take a few months for her broken arm to heal though, but besides that, she just needs to catch up on sleep and—"

"She got her arm broken?" Sonic interrupted. "Didn't think it was that bad."

"That's just about the only serious injury though. She just needs some recovery time, that's all.

"Don't we all…" Sonic muttered not quite under his breath, while making a mental note to not let Tails know Cream had a broken arm. It would probably upset him.

"Sonic, why don't you sit down, have some tea?" Amy suggested, pointing to the couch.

"No thanks. See ya!" Sonic said, rushing out the door before Amy could stop him. Amy felt another gust of wind as he rushed back in about five seconds later, though. "Oh, tell Cream I said hi, and feel better. See you around!" Sonic was off.

When he arrived back at the workshop, Tails was already there waiting for him. "Tails? Wow, you didn't take long at all."

"That's 'cause I already found a Chaos Emerald!" Tails exclaimed happily, showing Sonic a bright yellow Emerald. "I couldn't find any traces of any other ones though… but at least we got one, and one we have is one Eggman can't get, right?"

"Right, buddy! Great job! Where'd you find it?"

"I saw a glow under water so I transformed the Tornado to Submarine mode and went after it. Everything went smoothly, and I got it with no problem! And then—huh? Sonic? What's up?" Tails asked as he looked at the concerned face Sonic was making. His eyes were focused on whatever he was staring at, and his hand was on his chin. Tails knew this as the 'I've got something suspicious on my mind' look that Sonic always gave him when something was up.

"I wonder why there was only one…" Sonic mumbled under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Oh, never mind," Sonic said, looking at Tails.

Tails smiled again. "So, what now?"

"I dunno." Sonic replied. "How 'bout we take a pleasure ride in the Tornado just for the heck of it? We've got nothing else to do now that Eggman's not around," Sonic replied.

"Maybe we can go somewhere away from here to take a nice relaxing break." Tails suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, Tails!"

"Yeah, maybe we'll actually manage to have some fun without Eggman butting in for once!" Tails said.

"Hm, might as well get going now then, because I don't think the peace will last too much longer, knowing Eggman."

"Okay!" Tails started in the direction of his garage.

"Take the Emerald, too. That way if there's a Chaos Emerald around, we'll find it. We won't _look _for one though… we'll just grab it if one even turns up." Sonic said.

"Okay. Good point, too. I do get sort of sick of looking for those things after a while." Tails replied.

"Yeah, anyway, let's get going," Sonic suggested, getting impatient.

Tails swished his namesakes in a circular motion slowly and jumped up in the air, his rotating tails making his leap slower and higher. He landed gracefully in the cockpit of the Tornado and reached out a hand to help Sonic in. "Or do you want to ride on the wing?" Tails asked.

"Nah, I'll get inside today." Sonic said. He gripped Tails' hand and pulled himself up and into the passenger seat of the Tornado.

"Here we go!" Tails turned on the engine, then pressed a button that automatically opened up the garage door. He pushed a lever on the control panel and the Tornado slowly began to move forward, gradually speeding up as it went. Soon they felt the plane lift off the ground as they ascended higher and higher into the air. "So, where exactly are we going to go?" Tails asked, continuing to fly the Tornado straight.

"We'll know when we get there!" Sonic said, grinning.

Tails chuckled. He should have expected that answer.

Sonic put his hands behind his head, leaned back against the seat, and closed his eyes. This was the kind of time when Sonic just thought about how good his life was. Even after so many bad experiences with Eggman, everything turned out okay. This thought couldn't have fit better with what had ended two days ago. Even though Sonic himself had been forced to nearly kill his best friend, Tails was still with him now… right in front of him, piloting the Tornado. _That kid sure can take a lot, _Sonic thought to himself. Even after his terrible experience, Tails hadn't changed a bit, or at least not negatively. And even after they had been worst enemies for over a month, the two of them were still best friends, maybe even closer than they had been before Eggman had captured Tails. _He's lucky he survived the whole ordeal. And boy, I'm sure glad he did. _For some reason, Sonic's respect for the young vulpine had increased quite greatly over the last few days. Almost having to kill Tails had really given him that 'I won't know what I have until I lose it' feeling, and now he wanted to make sure Tails got all the respect he deserved from him in case something like that happened again and turned out the wrong way.

"Man, nice day out huh?" Tails said.

"Sure is, pal, sure is," Sonic said happily.

"I sort of wish we could do this a little more often." Tails said, his voice containing a slightly unhappy undertone.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know it won't be long before Eggman comes back again. I just wish we had a little more free time. I mean, it's nice to hang out with you without having to worry about world domination."

Sonic thought about this for a moment. Tails was right, in a sense. "Oh well, there's not much we can do about it! We'll just have to make do with what we have now while we can." Sonic replied lightheartedly.

"Yeah, guess you're right!" Tails said, already cheering up. He knew deep inside that Eggman would never give up. This was something he was going to have to deal with for a while… maybe forever. But as long as Sonic was right there by his side, he felt that nothing could stop him.

"Don't worry, Tails," Sonic said, as if reading his mind. "No matter what happens… I'll be here!" Sonic said.

Tails smiled honestly now. "Thanks, Sonic!" He said happily. He believed in Sonic. He was right. No matter what happened, the two of them would always be friends, and they would never give up. "If Eggman comes again, we'll be ready, right Sonic?" Tails said, looking over his shoulder at Sonic with a large grin and wide eyes.

"You bet we will! No worries!"

**All right, first chapter completed and up! I hope you enjoyed it. I know it could've been a bit more exciting, but hey, it's only the first chapter. Also, if you noticed when I put up Capture the Fox… I reviewed my reviewers stories, so if you review you'll most likely get a review in return (if it's a Sonic fic). I should have chapter 2 up by next week!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Turn for the Worst

**Ugh…. Once again, I apologize for the long wait, I know it was over three weeks. I'm trying my best to get these chapters up, but so far it's not working. I have quite a few future chapter put together pretty well already, so if I can get back to the library again, the next one shouldn't be a long wait. I won't make any promises though, as so far my intentions haven't gone as planned.**

**And Shelfkid, I believe that was you who said "No worries" meant something bad was about to happen in your last review? Well, the title for chapter 2 will tell you all you need to know : )**

CHAPTER 2: A Turn for the Worst

Sonic and Tails were only about twenty minutes into their flight on the Tornado before Tails spotted a beautiful green forest, pointing it out to Sonic. "Hey, look! Want to stop there? We could explore through that area for a while and maybe set up some sort of camp or something."

"It looks like people already are. Zoom down a bit!" Sonic replied.

Tails pushed a lever on the control panel forward and the Tornado dove down toward the forest, only slowing down and flying parallel to the ground when they were about fifty feet above the treetops. "Hm, you're right. It looks like this is some sort of campground. Sure are a lot of people here!" Tails said as he looked at the many tents that he could see below the trees.

"Should we go down there and—whoa!" Sonic cut himself in mid-sentence as the Tornado jolted violently. "What the—ah!" The Tornado jerked again.

"The screen is giving me a warning! We're in danger!" Tails yelled. "I can't look and see what's causing it right now… I can barely control this thing the way it's acting!"

Sonic looked over his shoulder to see none other than Dr. Ivo Robotnik, otherwise known as Eggman, following their trail of smoke from the Tornado in his Egg-mobile. For once, it wasn't attached to one of his large robots, but heavily armed instead. It was surrounded by tough, silver-colored steel, and there were many holes in the front of the armor that appeared to be launch spots for missiles, bombs, and other destructive offenses. There were also two rather large holes on the bottom that Sonic couldn't quite predict the reason for at the moment. "About time you figured it out! Now I will defeat you once and for all!"

"Yeah, yeah. That's not the first time I've heard you say that, doc," Sonic said. He opened the cockpit and jumped on the wing so he could see everything fully. "Why do you have your fat head floating around here?" He said just as lightheartedly as before. His jade eyes contained a hint of warning in them, though.

"Sonic, be careful…" Tails whispered. He turned the Tornado in Eggman's direction.

"Hmph. I'd like to see you try and defeat me. Why don't you give me one reason why I shouldn't destroy you, right here and now?"

Eggman said nothing. He just laughed evilly under his breath for a moment. "Because… I will destroy you first!" A small, magnetic, intercepting disk shot out of one of the small holes and headed for the Tornado. It made contact with the front of it before Tails had time to move out of the way. Both Sonic and Tails closed their eyes, expecting the plane to take damage or even blow up from the impact. But nothing happened. The disk was simply jabbed in the front of the Tornado, wedged in the broken metal uselessly.

"Huh?" Sonic opened his eyes. He shuffled over a few steps until he could see the disk from his position on the wing. His eyes widened. There was a small red light on the disk, and it was flashing, doing so faster and faster every second. "Oh, no…" Sonic groaned as he heard a faint 'beep' coming from the direction of the disk. "Tails, get ready for a crash landing!" A fast, small explosion took place just as Sonic spoke the words. The propeller was blown off the front of the plane, and it abruptly began to descend with a trail of smoke ascending from where the propeller used to be. Sonic could hear Eggman laughing. He was still following them.

"You didn't think I was going to stop just because Tails went bad before, did you?"

Sonic growled under his breath, but it slowly changed to a scream as the ground rushed up to meet them.

"Sonic!" Tails yelled, hoping the hedgehog could hear him through the closed cockpit. "Watch out for the branches!" The front of the plane made contact with the treetops, and a split-second later Sonic could feel the sharp branches and pines piercing his skin. Closing his eyes, he slammed down on his front and held himself to the wing of the plane. By doing this, he avoided what could have been a serious injury as they rushed past a branch that had a circumference of about two feet that was fit to knock him right off the wing of the plane. He stayed in his position in hopes to avoid a few cuts and scratches, but he could still feel the sharp bits dragging their way across his body like knives as they descended. He just squeezed his eyes shut tighter, doing his best to ignore the irritating pain as he prepared for impact.

The plane slammed against the hard ground of the forest, bouncing twice before sliding to a stop, leaving an ugly trail of dug-up dirt behind it. Sonic was thrown off the wing and slammed into a tree, leaving him nearly unconscious on top of the several gashes all over his body.

The surprising part: it actually wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. For the most part, neither of them were seriously injured, and besides multiple large dents, the Tornado wasn't in a condition that couldn't be fixed. The propeller would have to be put back on, though.

Tails hurriedly threw the cockpit window open and jumped out of the plane, unharmed except for a few minor forming bruises. "Sonic! Are you okay? Are you alive?" Tails shrieked. He gripped one of Sonic's hands with his own and yanked him hard to his feet. He put his hands on Sonic's shoulders to hold him upright. "Be okay, please!" Tails begged helplessly.

"It's all right, Tails…" Sonic breathed weakly. "I think I'm fine." Sonic opened one eye and saw Tails' anxious face. "Don't worry…" He lifted Tails' hands off his shoulders and let them drop, leaving him standing without support. "See?"

Tails visibly relaxed, but wasn't quite convinced. "Sonic, what're we gonna do? Eggman's coming!" Tails turned around and pointed a finger at the descending Egg-mobile. About twenty feet from ground, two large metal limbs shot out of the two holes on the bottom of the machine. The Egg-mobile landed forcefully, its long metallic legs pounding into the ground.

Sonic put one hand on the tree he was standing in front of for support and struggled to stand up straight. Tails gasped, grabbing hold of Sonic's other arm with one hand and putting his other hand on Sonic's back. "Sonic! Are you all right? Don't fall!"

"Ha ha ha! Need to learn how to walk again, Sonic? I thought you knew that much by now!" Eggman said, taking a step forward in his Egg-mobile.

"You're one to talk," Sonic replied weakly, gesturing to the machine Eggman was using to walk. Eggman just proceeded approaching Sonic. "I want my evil minion back." He said, sounding sincere for a change. His voice sounded threateningly silent.

Sonic knew he was referring to Tails. He almost immediately stood up to full height and glowered at Eggman. "Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged."

"I won't let you put him through all that again! Not this time!" Sonic shouted back at him.

"Fine. It's Tails or you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic said, folding his arms.

"Just what it sounds like! I'm giving you the choice, Sonic! Don't try and stop me!" Eggman said, a twisted smile appearing on his face.

"Hmph!" Sonic, forgetting about his injuries for the time being, charged towards Eggman quickly.

"Ah, ah, ah," Eggman moved off to the side, avoiding Sonic's attempt to attack. Before Sonic realized what happened, Eggman had already pressed a button on the control panel that sent a large metal claw in Tails' direction. Tails turned around to run, but he was already grabbed before he had a chance to take one step. He immediately struggled to break free.

"Hey! Let go of me you jerk!" Tails put his hands on the claw and pushed, trying to slip out of its hold.

"Hm… let's squeeze a little bit harder then, shall we?"

The claw's grip tightened around Tails' waist, and the fox immediately stopped struggling. He couldn't get away, and he knew it.

"Let him go, Eggman!" Sonic yelled, but to no apparent use.

"I'm taking him with me, and there's not a thing you can do to stop me." Eggman said, controlling the claw out of Sonic's reach. "And this Walker has a flying ability now! If you don't behave yourself, I'll just take him!"

_This looks just like last time… _Sonic thought, recalling the events that took place in Eggman's underground factory. Boiling with rage, Sonic began speaking quietly, but there was a threatening connotation in his voice. "Put him down. Now."

"Sorry, but you wouldn't reason, so I'm making the choice! I'll turn him into the evil that he was again, with a new plan so that Tails won't disobey me this time, for SURE! I already have everything planned out!"

Tails and Sonic both gasped. "No!" Tails breathed under his breath, not loud enough for Eggman to hear. Sonic saw him mouth the word.

"…Or maybe, I'll just torture him! That'll teach you to mess with _me _anymore!"

Sonic closed his eyes, deep in thought. He felt a warm bead of sweat drip down the side of his face. He knew that if he didn't do something fast, Tails was going to have to suffer all over again, like he did before. Making his decision, he opened his eyes, an unforgiving glare on his face. "Put Tails down and—"

"I already told you, he's coming with—"

"Shut UP! I'm not finished yet!" Sonic bellowed irritably. He was in no mood to discuss things in a friendly manner right now. He wanted to cut straight to the point. "Whatever you want to do to Tails—" Sonic cut himself off abruptly, seeing Tails gasp in fear. Sonic winked at him. Tails relaxed, understanding that Sonic wasn't going to let Eggman take him away. "…You can damn well do to me first!"

"Hmph. Very well, then." Eggman agreed.

"Sonic…" Tails breathed, clearly a little more than touched. "You can't… I don't want you to go through what I did, Sonic." He spoke the words as calmly as he could, but his throat was tight and his voice was shaking. Tails attempted to speak in similar tones again, but lost all control. "You _CAN'T_, Sonic!" He pleaded, tears slowly making their way down his face. "I don't want you to! You'll end up getting hurt or turning bad like I did!" Tails paused for a moment, then turned a bitter glare on Eggman, growling under his breath. "Eggman! I won't let you hurt either of us anymore! You leave Sonic alone! You hear me!"

Eggman snorted. "Fat chance. Who's going to make me?"

"_I _am!" Tails shouted.

"Oh yeah? Then let's just—"

"Hey," Both Eggman and Tails paused and looked over at Sonic. He had spoken quietly, calmly, but still firm enough to get their attention. "It's okay. Don't worry about me, Tails." Sonic assured him.

"But what if he hurts you?" Tails argued.

"You know I can handle it. I'll be okay." Sonic promised him, smiling reassuringly. "Trust me." Sonic then looked over at Eggman. "Let him down from there." Eggman hesitated, then reluctantly obeyed, loosening the claw's grip and letting Tails fall to the ground.

Tails stood up and dusted himself off. He then looked up at the hedgehog in disbelief. A mere two weeks ago, he had tried to kill Sonic – unintentionally of course – and had caused him some of the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life, physically and emotionally. He had gotten Sonic in an awful lot of trouble over the last two years as well… but here Sonic was, taking Tails' place as a victim of Eggman without giving a care.

"It'll be all right," Sonic repeated.

Tails hesitated, closing his eyes. He opened them after a few seconds and nodded, forcing a smile. Sonic always managed to come through, after all. "But, Sonic…" Tails walked up to him slowly. Eggman pointed a missile launcher at his head, just in case Sonic tried to snag Tails and run.

"Make one move to escape and you're dead!" Eggman said coldly to the kitsune. "That goes for both of you. One step in the other direction and I'll shoot!"

Tails just glowered up at him, then turned and whispered something in Sonic's ear: "Sonic, I'm gonna come find you. You know that, right?"

"Don't. It's too dangerous."

"I trusted you when you said you'd be okay." Tails responded almost too quickly, as if he had been preparing to say that. "You can trust me too, Sonic, can't you?"

The question caught Sonic off guard. "Tails, I…. You can't… no. Just, no. It's—" Sonic sighed dismally, failing to counter Tails' statement without making up an excuse. "Tails, whatever you're going to do, be careful. Okay? Don't get yourself into too much trouble." He smiled down at the fox. Tails looked like he was about to cry, and Sonic could tell it was taking a lot of effort for him to keep a straight face. Sonic gently ruffled the fur on the young fox's head.

"Sonic… I'm scared! I'm more worried than I was when he captured me! 'Cause I don't know what'll happen to ya. When it was me, I knew what was happening to me, but it's not me now! And I just don't want to see something bad happen to you! It's not fair. Why can't we just beat him now, Sonic?"

"I don't want to take the chance of either of us getting hurt. I think Eggman really meant it when he said he'd launch that missile." Sonic said as light-heartedly as he could, hoping he sounded more relaxed than he felt. Although somewhat nervous for himself, he was more concerned for Tails. "Just relax, buddy, okay?"

Tails nodded again and tried hard to regain calmness. Sonic turned to face Eggman and walked slowly, but not unconfidently, in Eggman's direction. Tails gulped. "Bye Sonic." He said simply, forcing a smile. He slowly raised one hand and waved.

"See you soon, Tails," Sonic replied, looking over his shoulder for a split second. He walked directly up to Eggman's Walker, watching as Eggman put it into hover mode. "Lower your weapon from his head. I won't come with you until you do. Let Tails get out of here so I know he's safe and I'll come." Sonic said calmly. He wasn't one to back down on a promise, even if he put himself in danger by doing it. But Eggman didn't know that.

"You expect me to believe that! How about this… you step inside that door and I _won't_ shoot Tails with this missile!" He said impatiently, pressing a button to lock his aim on Tails' head.

Sonic sighed in miserable defeat. He really had no choice now; it was him or Tails. Deciding to give in, he looked directly at Eggman, then at Tails, then at Eggman again. "If it'll make you happy, I will! But don't close that door until I can see that Tails is out of sight!" He warned.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But one more thing. You two, listen good because I'm only saying this once! I want all seven Chaos Emeralds! If you try to stop me, Tails, or if anyone else is stupid enough to try, they'll regret it!" Tails just glared at him.

Sonic turned to face Tails one more time, who still had the hand he had waved with raised next to his head absentmindedly. "Tails, run now, before that Egghead changes his mind!"

Dropping his hand, the fox immediately obeyed as he turned tails and ran. He didn't turn back. That was the last time he would see his hedgehog hero for now, but he had to take advantage of what Sonic did for him, and it was now or never. He ran far, using his namesakes for extra speed. He ran around trees and jumped over broken branches and pits as he dashed through the forest. Why he was in such a hurry, he didn't know. He just knew it was time to run. He started losing his breath, and decreased his speed gradually. He didn't know exactly how long he had run for, but it was probably a good five minutes. He only stopped when he exited the forest and caught sight of the lake. He had nowhere left to go right now. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath, standing up after a few seconds. And when he turned around, he saw Eggman's Egg-mobile blast up into the sky, Sonic trapped tightly in between the two arms of the metallic claw. Tails could tell he was making an effort to escape, even though he knew he couldn't.

"No!" Tails yelled. His emotions were mixed between fear, frustration, and fury. "Darn it… why does this always have to happen to me?" Tails cried openly, falling to his knees again. "Why doesn't Eggman just leave me alone for once in his life? Now Sonic's gone!" Hot, angry tears spilled down Tails' cheeks. He was tired of Eggman. He had had about all of him he could take the last time he had tried to take over the world, and the young fox was nowhere near ready to go through anything like that again. "I… I can't be like this! Not now. Sonic needs help! He just saved my life, and he's did that a lot before, too. It's… it's my turn… to stop Eggman. I have to stop him before he does somethin' bad to Sonic. It's the right thing to do… but how can I help Sonic when I don't even know where Eggman is taking him? Where should I start…?" Tails sobbed. He couldn't help being worried about Sonic. He couldn't convince himself that Eggman wasn't going to do the same thing to Sonic that had been done to himself only a few weeks ago. "I don't know if I can do this alone or even if I can do it at all, but I should try! He did the same thing for me.. I have to try for Sonic! I can't give up now just because this happened. I have time to stop all of this! I just have to do what I can…" Tails jumped up in the air and twirled his tails. "Forget the Tornado. I can't waste time trying to fix that right now. But I gotta get off this island before I do anything!"

It was good to be home, he thought as he laid back. All was calm now. He had nothing to worry about. This was one of those days that he felt was going to be a good day, where nothing went wrong. Hopefully, his feelings were right.

Knuckles yawned as he looked at the bright blue sky. He smiled slightly. Unlike Sonic, he rather enjoyed sitting in one place all day, not giving a care in the world. He was happy Eggman was gone for now. Just peace and quiet. This was the life, and it was a life he wouldn't mind living forever. "Hm. There'll be a day where that Egghead's gone for good, and I'll be able to live like this forever." Knuckles convinced himself. Although he knew Eggman would probably be back soon, he was going to enjoy the peace while he could. He yawned and closed his eyes, listening to the birds chirping around him.

His moment was ruined when he heard a loud crash behind him, one that sounded like the shattering of glass. "Huh?" His eyes shot open and he was on his feet in less than a second. He whirred around quickly. Behind him, the Master Emerald was shattered to bits. It was no longer glowing. Knuckles fell to his knees. He couldn't believe it. This had happened in a mere few seconds while he was laying down… right in front of the Master Emerald! Knuckles inhaled sharply in disbelief, staring blankly at what used to be the Master Emerald, not even noticing the large, shiny-black robot that was now preparing to attack him.

**Okay, there's chapter 2! Hope you liked it. Once again, I'm really, really sorry about the long wait… I'll try harder to get the next one up ASAP. I'm doing my best!**


	4. Chapter 3: A Friend in Need

**Uh… nothing much to say right now, other than… I actually updated on time! Yay! Okay, here's chapter three, enjoy!**

CHAPTER 3: A Friend in Need

"What the… the Master Emerald!" Knuckles said, still staring down at the tiny, light-green shards.

"Some guardian you are," he heard a voice say.

Knuckles looked up to see a black robot about his height staring down at him. At least, he assumed it was a robot. All of it he could see was the black armor that was covering it. He could tell that the robot was shaped as he was, with two arms and two legs. However, he didn't know what the actual shape of its head was. The armor covering it was shaped like a half-circle. He had no idea what lie under the thick armor, and wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Something about the robot made it look intimidating. Mysterious, too. But no matter what it was, it had undoubtedly destroyed the Master Emerald, and that was all Knuckles cared about.

"Who are you?" Knuckles demanded, standing up.

"You act as if I am going to tell you." Its voice sounded young but harsh at the same time; it wasn't a voice Knuckles recognized. It had to be a robot of some sort, most likely Eggman's, he thought.

Knuckles drew back his left fist and punched just as the robot lunged at him. He was on the ground before he knew it. He opened his eyes, which he hadn't even realized he had closed, only to see that neither of the spikes on his fist dented, scratched, or otherwise damaged the thick armor in any way. To make matters worse, the robot had his other arm and both of his legs pinned on the ground. "Hmph. I'm not _that _weak!" Knuckles placed his free hand on the robot's front and pushed. He felt beads of sweat forming all over him. This robot was _strong, _and much tougher than it looked. It _looked _pretty tough as it was. "Urgh… keep your rusted limbs off 'a me!" Knuckles breathed as he struggled.

"You want me off of you?" The robot asked rhetorically. "Have it your way." It replied, putting one cold, metallic hand roughly around Knuckles' arm.

"Huh?" Knuckles said, a puzzled look on his face.

With Knuckles firmly in its grip, the robot stood up, swung the echidna around once and released, sending Knuckles flying.

"Ahhh!" Knuckles landed on his stomach with a hard thud, sliding to a halt at the edge of the floating island. With a graceful jump, the robot landed right in front of him. He stood up quickly and lifted his hands up into a fighting stance. If he wasn't careful, this robot was going to knock him down into the ocean, and he knew it.

The robot again lunged for Knuckles. "Heh, sorry! I'm not falling for the same trick twice!" Knuckles said, smoothly jumping off to the side before the robot's arms reached him. The robot's momentum carried it forward more than intended though, and it couldn't regain balance. The armored bot fell headfirst off the edge of Angel Island, increasing speed as it neared the water. "All right! Good riddance!" Knuckles said, heading back for the altar. He walked up the stairs and looked at the useless green shards. "But what can I do about the Mas—AH!" Knuckles was cut off as he was unexpectedly picked up under the arms thrown forward into the pile of Emerald shards. He used his momentum to keep rolling forward, knowing there was something behind him. He stood up once he figured he was a safe distance away and turned around. "What the heck! You can _fly?_"

There it was, the black robot was a mere two yards away from him, hovering slightly above the ground. Knuckles took no time to try and figure out _how _it was flying exactly, but instead jumped forward and kicked the robot hard in its center. To his great relief, he had caught the black bot off guard and sent him bouncing down the stairs to the altar. He knew this robot was too strong to be defeated yet, though, so he ran down the stairs after it. To his surprise, the robot was already back on its feet. "Hmph. I'm not finished with you yet!" Knuckles aimed his punch and threw it forward. In one smooth movement, the robot caught Knuckles' fist with both hands and kicked the echidna in the back as it threw him forward, hard and far enough so that Knuckles skidded along the ground toward the edge of the island. This time though, he wasn't as lucky. As he slid off, Knuckles gripped the side of the island for dear life, hoping for a miracle. He closed his eyes, feeling his sweaty hands slipping further and further off the edge. "Maybe this won't be such a good day after all!"

"Knuckles!"

"Huh? Tails?" Knuckles said, recognizing the voice a good fifty yards away from him. He knew Tails wouldn't get there in time to pull him back onto the island, though. The ground he was gripping onto was beginning to crumble due to his weight, and now it was only a matter of seconds.

"Knux, it's okay! Go ahead and fall! I can catch you!" Tails yelled, diving downward to go underneath where Knuckles was. "I can get there quick enough!"

"Right! The day I ask you to catch me is the day Sonic decides to take swimming lessons!" Knuckles retorted. He liked Tails as a friend, but most often he also found him as annoying as Sonic.

"Just trust me!"

"Why does it matter? I'm going to fall anyway, can't you see that?" Just then, the ground cracked through. "Nooo!"

"I'm comin'!" Tails dove downward further, spinning his namesakes as fast as he could. _C'mon Tails, he's gonna hit! Hurry up, faster! FASTER!_

Knuckles turned himself over in the air so that he was facing up. "Wow, he _is _fast!" Knuckles said as he watched Tails come nearer and nearer to him.

"Almost there… grab my hand, Knuckles!"

Knuckles reached out one hand. With one forceful jolt, Tails threw himself forward as hard as he could, grabbing Knuckles' hand in the process. "Gotcha!" Tails slowed down a bit and began to steadily fly back up toward the island.

"Thanks, Tails." Knuckles said quietly. "Guess I underestimated you."

"How the heck did you fall off the island anyways?" Tails asked.

"I was fighting a robot." Knuckles replied matter-of-factly. "It shattered the Master Emerald."

"What kinda robot?" The fox asked curiously.

"It was covered in black metal. Don't know what the robot looked like underneath, though."

"How'd it get to your island? Is it still here?" Tails said, now only a few yards under the edge of the island where Knuckles had fallen off.

"Darn it, Tails, how should I know? Stop asking questions. I have one now. Why are you even over here?"

Tails flew back over the island and looked around for any signs of a robot. "You think it left? It probably thought it killed you and left."

"Yeah it left. Now can you answer me?"

Tails lowered Knuckles to the ground and released his hands. He hung his head, the bad memory filling his mind again. "I need your help, Knuckles…"

"What now?" Knuckles asked dully.

"It's Sonic. Eggman took him away! And it should've been me too, but Sonic took my place! We have to find some way to save him!"

"Tails, I have important things to do! I have to stay here while the Master Emerald heals just in case that robot comes back. I can't put the Master Emerald in anymore danger." Knuckles replied.

"So you're saying some green rock is more important to you than Sonic?" The fox questioned.

"Don't start with that. I'm staying here until the Master Emerald restores itself. End of story." He folded his arms.

"PLEASE, Knuckles! I can't do this alone!" Tails begged.

"Look, kid, I went through a lot of trouble to help Sonic save you. I'm taking a break from all that. I thought you'd be happy enough that I helped set you free from Eggman."

"I am happy you helped me! But now Sonic's in danger! Why can't you help him, too?" Tails argued.

"I told you, I have other things to do! If that robot hadn't attacked me and shattered the Master Emerald, things may have been different, but they're not."

"So your Emerald _is _more important to you than your friends."

"Tails, I have a duty! When will you understand that? It is my fate to guard the Master Emerald until I die, no matter what!" That was more of a statement to get Tails off his back than it was a statement of truth. Knuckles didn't really believe in fate; nothing was set in stone. You decided your own fate as you proceeded through life. He believed fate could be changed by one's own beliefs, words, and actions. Therefore, if he could bring himself to do it, he could easily go with Tails to help Sonic.

Tears filled the young kitsune's sky blue eyes. "You sure didn't let that stop you when you came to save me. Why should it be any different when Sonic's in danger?"

"Kid, there's something you need to know about Sonic. As much as I hate to say it, Sonic is just about as tough as I am. He can get through anything. No matter how much danger there is, or how bad he gets hurt, his personality never seems to change. He just stays determined and confident and ready and all that good crap." Knuckles walked Tails over to the altar and sat him down on a step. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… he doesn't need someone to save him. He can make it through on his own."

"But Knuckles… I'm his best friend! Whether he can save himself or not, I should at least try and help! It's what a good friend should do!"

"If you want to help, knock yourself out! Like I said, I'm staying right here." Knuckles replied stubbornly.

"But what if Eggman really means it this time? What if.. what if he tries to hurt Sonic? What if… he tries to.. to…"

"Sonic won't die just because Eggman decides he wants to kill him. That's not how Sonic works. In fact, I think the last place Sonic would die is with him. He's _way_ too stubborn for that. He would never give Eggman the satisfaction of knowing he defeated him. Not to mention, Sonic has a heart for freedom. When he dies, he'll die where he wants to die. Simple as that."

"But what if Eggman's got some really strong weapon and it's just too much for Sonic to take?" Tails asked.

Knuckles snorted. "I just told ya, nothing's too much for that guy. You know that, Tails! Remember when you were on the Black Hawk and you and Eggman were using the—"

"Knuckles, you know I don't like talking about when I was Dark Tails!" Tails protested. They had all recently dubbed the situation Tails had gotten into a short while ago as the 'Dark Tails incident'.

"I know, but just listen to me this time. Remember when you two were firing the lightening blast from the Black Hawk? I passed out early, but not before Sonic. I still feel the pain when I try and remember how much that hurt, too. How long did Sonic last, anyway? I wasn't awake to see."

"It was almost ten minutes, I think."

A shocked look appeared on Knuckles' face for a split second before he attempted to look unfazed. "I lasted about one minute… if that," Knuckles muttered under his breath.

"Eggman used the Chaos Emeralds to make the attack about four times as strong, too."

"What is _wrong _with that guy… I mean, does he not feel pain or something? How does he do that?"

"He looked like he was hurting a lot. I can't imagine what that would feel like, either. And to think it's all my fault he had to deal with that… see, this is why I hate talking about this!"

"Tails, get it through your head! It's Eggman's fault. It's not yours. And Sonic doesn't care about that anymore. It's not like he's still feeling that pain. That doesn't _matter _to him anymore, so just forget it!"

"Wow, he was real tough that day!" Tails said, a small hint of a smile appearing on his face.

"See? I'm telling you, Sonic will be okay. Trust me." Knuckles said, patting Tails on the shoulder.

"I know he will be… but still, he doesn't deserve whatever Egghead's doing to him right now. I want to stop that jerk before he does something really bad to Sonic!"

Knuckles sighed. "I'm sorry I can't go with you. I would if I didn't have to guard this thing, but I can't! But I'll make you a deal. Once the Master Emerald recovers and I can find a way to keep it well hidden, I'll come find you and help you. I promise!"

Tails knew Knuckles never lied. "Okay, I believe you. Do what you can to hurry though, okay?"

"I'll try my best."

Tails nodded and turned to go, feeling a little better than he had before arriving at the island. "Knuckles is right. After all, Sonic promised me he'd be okay, and I know he would never break a promise either!"

**The next one should be up soon (hopefully) because I'm almost done with it already. Please review: )**


	5. Chapter 4: Seeking Help

**Wow… Can't believe I...**

…**Oh, never mind: ) Long story.**

……

**But anyway, I forgot to tell you guys last time, I dug out my old computer and booted it up downstairs so I'll be able to type regularly again! Yay! Updates should be on a regular basis now. The only thing is… that computer doesn't have internet access. I still have to put my chapters up and read on FFN via library.**

**Anyway, here I am updating on time again. I'm getting better at this! 'Kay, well, here's chapter four… it should be pretty interesting! Hope you enjoy!**

CHAPTER 4: Seeking Help

"Wow, my tails hurt!" Tails said as he landed on a street. He was now in Station Square. He had been flying over the water after leaving Angel Island for the past hour making his way to the city.

"Hiya, Tails!" A cheerful voice from behind him said.

"Huh?" Tails turned around. "Oh, uh, hi Amy. What're you doing here?"

"I was just heading downtown to do some shopping! I'm meeting Cream and her mom for lunch."

"Oh," Tails said, his ears drooping a little. "Is she doin' better?"

"Yeah, she went home with her mom yesterday after spending the night at my place."

"That's good." Tails replied, somewhat inattentively.

"You okay? You look sort of upset." Amy asked, a look of slight concern appearing in her eyes.

Tails growled under his breath. "Sonic got captured and taken pris'ner by Eggman an' I don't know what Eggman's doing to him! He seemed serious though.. I think he's going to do something really really bad with Sonic!"

"Oh no, Sonic!" Amy's mood changed from cheerful to scared and upset instantly. "He's been captured? How did that happen?"

"We were flying in the Tornado and Eggman made us crash, then he trapped me in this claw thing and was about to take me away so he could make me evil again. But Sonic went instead of me. He said he'd be okay and that I shouldn't worry, but we gotta help him!"

Amy gasped. "I can't believe this! Sonic!" She breathed. "You bet I'll help! We should get Knuckles to come with us, too! We have to save him!" Amy shrieked.

Tails hung his head. "I already tried. He.. doesn't want to help. He said he's going to keep an eye on the Master Emerald 'til it heals. A robot came and shattered it."

"He thinks some rock is more important than _Sonic_?" Amy nearly shouted.

Tails took a step backwards. "That's what I told him, but he wouldn't change his mind!"

"Well _I'd _like to have a word with him! I'll make him change his mind!"

"Amy, you won't be able to make him come! I tried to and it didn't work!" Tails protested.

"I'll make it work! Take me over to Angel Island!"

"We'll have to go get my plane, first. It's in a forest right outside the city." Tails said, pointing out the right direction. "It was where we crash landed. C'mon, let's hurry!"

They walked through the rest of the city at a fast pace as they made their way to the forest. They were soon walking through the trees. "Hey Tails, do you know exactly where you guys crashed?"

"Just about. We should find the plane as soon as we get through that campground up ahead. We crashed right after we flew over it." Tails said.

"Well let's hurry up! Sonic could be in danger right now!" Amy said, beginning to run.

Tails sped up as well, twirling his namesakes to accelerate faster.

"I sure hope he's okay. I wish we had a way of finding out where he was…" Amy said worriedly.

"For once, I think it may be a good thing if Eggman has one of the Chaos Emeralds. If he has one with him now, I'll be able to use the one I have to help track him down!" Tails said.

"You found one?"

"Yeah, just the other day!" Tails said proudly, reaching back and grabbing hold of one tail. He pulled it forward and took a Chaos Emerald out of the thick fur. "See?"

"That's great! This will help us out a lot." Amy said, somewhat relieved.

"You bet it will!" Tails looked at the forest around him. "Hey, I think I see something blue from here. It's got to be the Tornado!" Tails ran faster, slowly approaching the object. "Yeah, that's it!" The two of them ran up to the bi-plane.

"That was pretty easy." Amy commented. "Are you sure this thing will still fly okay after it crashed?"

"It should, I just have to put the little propeller back on…" Tails opened a latch door on the side of the plane and took out his toolbox.

"Wow, you're sure prepared!"

"This kind of thing happens a lot. It's best to be ready when it does." Tails said, taking out a screwdriver. "Amy, do you see a little three-bladed propeller anywhere? It has to be around here somewhere. It came off when Eggman launched that miniature bomb at us, so it shouldn't be too far from here. Do me a favor and look around back there while I make sure the engine didn't break or anything. It prob'ly landed somewhere a little ways behind us."

"Okay, be right back then," Amy nodded and jogged off. She returned about fifteen minutes later and saw Tails bent down on one knee as he repaired a few dents in the engine. "I, um, I found it."

"Good, gimme it!" Tails said, not turning around but holding one hand out behind him.

"I didn't get it though.."

"What do you mean? I thought you said you found it."

"I did. It's stuck up a big tree. I tried to climb it, but I couldn't reach one of the branches…"

"I can probably fly up there and get it. Show me where it is, will ya?" Tails asked, putting down his tools and standing up.

"Sure, follow me!" Amy said. She led Tails to the tree under discussion and Tails observed it for a moment. "It's near the top."

"Okay, I can see it from here. I'm 'na go get it." Tails spun his namesakes and ascended upward into the branches, pushing them out of his way as he went. It wasn't long before he reached the propeller for the plane. He took hold of it and slowed down the rotation of his tails in order to let himself descend.

"Did you find it?" He heard Amy call once she was in his view.

"Yeah, got it!" Tails continued flying downward for another forty feet until he was close enough to ground to let himself drop safely. "There. Now we can fix the Tornado up." Tails led the way back to his plane.

"Wait up, Tails!"

Tails slowed down a bit for Amy to catch up. They walked silently until they returned to the Tornado.

"Let's see here…" Tails said to himself as he approached the front of the plane. "I hope I have a spare axle I can attach this to." He said, eyeing the axle that the propeller had been attached to before. It was cracked and dented beyond repair. He reached to take it off. It crumbled in his hand almost as soon as he gripped his fingers around it. He tossed the broken pieces over his shoulder. "I'll just look in my toolbox… there we go! Good thing there's an extra one." Tails picked up the shiny new axle. He put the propeller against the front of the plane, then put the axle through the small hole in the middle. "Amy? Can you get me my screwdriver?"

"Which one?" She said, looking at the four that were laid neatly in Tails' toolbox.

"Flat."

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Tails took it and began screwing the axle into place over the propeller. "That should do it!"

"Ready to go now?" Amy asked, smiling.

"Yeah, let's get going! Get in the passenger seat." Tails ordered as he climbed in the front seat. Amy obeyed.

"Okay!" Amy said, tapping one foot. "The quicker we get to that knucklehead, the better.

"I'm telling you, he doesn't want to leave the Master Emerald, Amy." Tails said.

"It's worth a try, though. I want to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Okay, then. Tornado, blast off!" The plane's engine started up, and they were off into the air. They arrived at Angel Island after about ten minutes.

Hearing the plane's engine, Knuckles opened one eye. "Tails? What's he doing back so soon?"

Knuckles waited until the plane landed and stood up as Tails and Amy climbed out of it. "What happened to saving Sonic?"

"I, uh… Amy wants to talk to you." Tails responded.

"Really?" Knuckles asked dryly, having a suspicion that Amy being here had something to do with Sonic.

His suspicion was correct. "How _could _you?" She demanded. "Why won't you help us? The Emerald doesn't matter right now if it's shattered, anyway!"

"I'm sure Tails already told you why. I need to make sure the Master Emerald recovers and doesn't get stolen, and not to mention Sonic can take care of himself. I'm not going through this argument again, so you may as well forget it."

"No! You're coming with us whether you like it or not!" Amy yelled.

"Oh, am I? Let's see you make me, then!"

"Fine, have it your way!" Amy whipped out her hammer and ran for Knuckles.

"That thing doesn't faze me!" Knuckles said, although he soon found himself running from it.

"Running won't help! If you're going to be selfish and not help save Sonic after he's saved you so many times… you're going to pay for it!" Amy hurled her hammer at Knuckles' legs. It spun like a boomerang, and Knuckles could hear it slicing the wind as it approached him. Having no time to look and see where it was now, Knuckles tried his luck and jumped in the air—and felt the wind whip his feet as the hammer sliced through the area where he had been running a split-second ago.

"Nice try! But if you don't want to get off my island, I'll force you!" Knuckles turned around and ran toward Amy, drawing back his fist.

"Oh yeah? If you would have decided to help us save Sonic, I'd never set foot on your island again anyway!" Amy ran to meet Knuckles' charge.

"STOOOPP!" Tails raced in the middle of the two of them and closed the distance between them by putting one hand on Knuckles' chest and the other on Amy's hammer, holding both of them immobile. "You two are wasting time! Knuckles, you should be helping us anyway! Amy, starting a fight just takes up more time that we could be using to save Sonic! If you're going to be like this I'll go find Sonic myself!"

"I was just trying to get stupid here to help us!" She argued, glowering back at Knuckles.

"Hmph! Say that to my face!" Knuckles dared her.

"You're stupid! I said it to your face the first time, but apparently you couldn't comprehend that!" She paused. "Because you're stupid!"

"Amy, forget it! He won't help us, at least not yet! Let's just leave him be!"

"Ohh…! Fine! We don't need your help! Maybe that robot'll just come back and crack you open like he did to the Master Emerald! I sure hope so, because you owe Sonic after all the times he's helped you, not to mention all of us!" Amy turned abruptly and ran back to the Tornado with her fists clenched. "C'mon, Tails!"

Tails didn't follow Amy. He just stood, staring at the ground. His eyes were filled with despair. Why did any of this have to happen? Why couldn't Knuckles just come with them? It would be hard to save Sonic without him. Suddenly, he whipped his head upward to face Knuckles so fast, his bangs flipped back on top of his head. "She's right!" Tails said bravely. "I don't care if you think Sonic can make it by himself! If you cared about him _or _us at all, you'd help! Either way, I bet Sonic could survive with Eggman longer than _you_! 'Sides, you could always find somewhere to hide the Master Emerald for now! I know you said you'd help later, but it could be too late by then! There's no excuse!" Tails paused, a disgusted look on his face. "See ya, knucklehead!" He stormed off and got in the Tornado. "We're out'a here!" Tails started up the Tornado and blasted into the sky without giving Knuckles a chance to argue more or apologize (whatever his next objective would have been).

They flew for a while. Both of them were speechless for a few minutes. "Wow, Tails. I've never seen you like this before!" Amy said, breaking the silence.

"I'm mad," he mumbled.

"At who?"

"Knuckles," he spoke quietly with hint of hatred in his voice. There was a prolonged silence before Tails said, "an' Eggman. I guess that's who I'm most mad at."

"I don't blame you! That sick bastard's probably doing so many terrible things to poor Sonic right now…" Amy stopped talking when she heard Tails sniffle once. "I'm sorry, Tails… I know how you feel about all of this. I feel the same way. But we'll save him!"

"Mm-hm," Tails mumbled, nodding once. "I wish there was a way to find out exactly where Eggman is, though. How are we going to find them if we have no clue where they are?"

"We'll need some help, and I know exactly where we can get some."

"You do? Where?" Tails asked, more attentive now.

"The CDA!"

"Chaotix Detective Agency, huh? They helped you guys out when you were trying to save me, didn't they?"

"Yeah! Maybe they'll lend us a hand. We can tell them we want them to track down Eggman." Amy said. "Want to head over there now?"

"Sure, why not?" Tails veered off to the right and began to fly downward. "That's it over there right?"

"Yeah, that's it. Hey Tails, you're Chaos Emerald is glowing! Is there another Emerald around here somewhere?"

"Nah, it's glowing because of this!" Tails showed Amy a transparent, light green sliver of rock.

"You took a piece of the Master Emerald? Does Knuckles know?"

"Not yet. I'm gonna give it back to him eventually. I snuck it right before we left."

"Why'd you take it, though?" Amy asked, surprised Tails would do such a thing.

"I didn't take it to steal or make Knuckles upset, although I was pretty mad at him when I took it. I took it because I don't think it's a good idea to let the Master Emerald recover. If I have one piece, it can't recover fully or be completely useful." Tails explained.

"But what's wrong with it recovering? Isn't that the only way Knuckles will come with us?"

"I don't _wan' _him to come with us if he doesn't want to. I only want him to come if he actually cares about Sonic." Tails stated. "And what if Eggman decides to take the Master Emerald? Unless he has all of it, there'll be no way he can get power from it. So I'm not letting him get this piece." Tails tucked the shard safely in the thick fur of one of his tails. "I don't wanna take the chance of him getting more power." This statement was true, but Tails had another reason for his theft that he was keeping in the privacy of his own mind for now. Boy, that shard was going to come in handy later on…

"Hm. Clever thinking, Tails!"

Tails smiled. "All right, we're landing now." Tails said as they neared the Chaotix Detective Agency. The wheels extended from the bottom of the Tornado and they rolled to a smooth stop in front of the small building. The two of them got out of the plane and walked up to the front door. Tails rang the doorbell. They immediately heard muffled voices from inside: "I got it, I got it! … Charmy, CHARMY! Get back here you idiot! … I wanna get the door, though! … Move aside! Get out of the way!"

After a few moments, Vector opened the door slightly and peered through. "Sorry, I—Tails! What are you doing here?" Vector asked, sounding surprised.

"Can we come in? I gotta tell you something."

"Sure thing, come on!" Vector took a step back and pulled the door open to let Amy and Tails inside. They walked in.

"Aw, Vector, I wanted to answer the door!" Charmy whined.

"Stop complaining, Charmy." Espio said from the sofa. Vector sat down next to him. Tails and Amy found chairs and made themselves comfortable as well.

"So what's up?" Vector asked after they were settled in.

Tails looked over at him. "It's Sonic. He got captured by Eggman when Eggman tried to capture me again and Sonic took my place and told Eggman to let me go free." Tails said in a long run-on sentence. He spoke quietly, and there was no hiding the unmistakable misery in his voice. The young fox closed his eyes, opened them again, and stood up, knowing that feeling sorry for himself wasn't going to make things right again. "And I gotta save him in return! I don't know what Eggman's going to do with him, but I don't want to find out the hard way. We have to save him before it's too late. And I need you three to track down Eggman for me. If I'm going to save Sonic, I have to find out where Eggman is first. 'Cause if Eggman's there, Sonic most likely is, too. And if you find Sonic in the process, that's good! I'm not asking you to get in trouble or even contact Eggman, I just gotta know where he is. I'll pay you when you find out where he is. I don't have that much money, but I'll give you all of it. Deal?"

Some whispering took place between Espio and Vector before they turned to look at Tails again. They both nodded. "Deal. But no pay is required this time." Espio said.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes. Sonic has saved us all numerous times, and not once has he ever been paid for it. I don't think it's fair that we require to be paid to help save someone who has saved us continuously more times than I can count." Espio replied. "Just this once, though." He couldn't resist adding.

"What?" Charmy shrieked. "No money?"

"Thanks, guys!" Tails said gratefully, ignoring Charmy.

"Yeah, thanks for helping us out!" Amy said.

"Here. Hold on to this, Tails. We'll radio you if we find out anything." Espio said.

Tails took the small communications radio from Espio. "I'll keep it safe in the Tornado. Me and Amy are gonna do some searching, too. Thanks again guys, I'm really glad you're helping out!" Tails said, turning to go. Amy followed him.

"No prob!" Vector assured him. "We'll get on with the search now!"

"Okay," Tails said.

"See you around!" Amy said, waving. The two of them walked out the door. "Wow, second time in a row they've taken unpaid work. That must be a record for those guys." Amy commented.

"You mean they didn't ask for any money when they helped you save me?" Tails asked, sounding somewhat astonished.

"No. I think it's different if someone's life is in danger. They're probably a little more lenient in those kinds of situations."

"Guess so." Tails said. "So what d'ya say we go explore around using the Tornado? Maybe we'll find something that'll help us out."

"Okay, might as well. Hopefully Vector, Espio, and Charmy will find something out soon. As soon as they do, we can go rescue Sonic!"

**Hm… look forward to an update sometime late next week most likely! I've been working ahead on bits and pieces of other future chapters, and five is just about done. I just need to find the time to get back to the library…**


	6. Chapter 5: A New Hero Rises

**Ugh… okay, so I accidentally upload Chapter 6 (yes I do have it completed) to the document manager instead of Chapter 5, and when I realized my mistake I tried to upload the right chapter. When I tried to upload 5, I get an error message from FFN. Typical. So you waited a little longer than you should have had to… I blame FFN!**

**Anyway, I keep forgetting to ask you guys this. It has nothing to do with this story, but… in your next reviews, can you please tell me if you'd be interested in SA/SA2/SH adaptations? I've been seriously considering doing these for a few weeks now and I finally remembered to ask… but if you think you'd read and/or review it, please let me know you're interested! I probably won't put them up until the Kitsune Chronicles series is finished, but I will put them up if I think people will read them and enjoy them as much as this series, so I beg you, PLEASE let me know!**

**But enough with my babble… here's chapter 5.**

Chapter 5: A New Hero Rises

Amy and Tails were still flying around in the Tornado, searching for anything that would get them closer to finding Sonic. They had been exploring around for the last three hours, and so far, they weren't any closer to achieving their goal than they were since they had started searching after they had left to let Vector, Espio, and Charmy try and track down Eggman. Still, Amy noticed something was going on between the Master Emerald shard and the Chaos Emerald they had. "Hey Tails, are you sure the Emerald didn't pick up something? The Chaos Emerald and the piece of the Master Emerald are both still glowing. Are you sure it's only because they're near each other?" Amy asked.

Tails turned around momentarily and glanced at the two Emeralds in Amy's hands. "That's weird. They should have gotten used to each other by now… I thought they would 'a. Maybe there _is_ another Chaos Emerald around here."

"Should we look for it?"

"No!" Tails snapped without hesitating. "We gotta find Sonic, Amy!" That was all Tails cared about.

"I know, but if Eggman went after Sonic, he's probably after the Chaos Emeralds too. He always wants them for power. If we can stop him from getting some of them, we may be able to stop him from completing whatever plans he has in that messed up mind of his. It may make it easier to rescue Sonic, too!"

"Doesn't matter what Eggman does, I just want Sonic safe! It's my fault he's in this mess!"

"Tails, I care about Sonic just as much as you do, but I'm at least trying to make a plan! We're never going to find him if we don't start somewhere, and we have no way of knowing where he is now anyway. We might as well try and find the Chaos Emeralds while we wait! They may be able to help us. Plus, if Eggman gets them, he'll probably use them to power some giant bot of his, and getting past that would make finding Sonic take a lot longer."

"I don't care about the Emeralds. I just have to save him! Amy, it's 'cause of me Eggman took him!"

"Tails, you can't blame yourself for what happened to Sonic. It was his decision to take your place, and he did it because he's a good friend. All you can do is be a good friend in return and try and save him, and that's exactly what you're doing!" Amy said.

"Exactly!" Tails shouted irritably. "But you're trying to stop me!"

"Tails, you know very well I'm not doing that. Think about it. If we don't even have a clue where he is right now, we shouldn't waste time doing nothing. If we find the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman, we'll have a better chance of saving Sonic anyway."

Tails grunted. "Fine! We'll do it your way."

"Trust me, I… wait… Tails, I got it!" Amy exclaimed.

"Got what?"

"Gimme that!" Amy said, pointing to the radio Espio had given Tails so they could communicate.

Tails reached down next to his seat, grabbed it, and handed it to Amy hesitantly. "What're you doing with it?"

"You'll find out, just listen." Amy said, smiling. She looked down at the radio for a moment, then held down a button on the side. "Espio? Is anyone there?"

No answer.

"Vector? Espio? Someone pick up, please!"

"Amy? It's Vector. Sorry, communication isn't all that great out here."

"Where are you?"

"We're flying over the ocean right now. We picked up a signal on radar. Can't tell where he is yet, though. The signal appears to be coming from a large base. There's an island up ahead, we think it could be on there somewhere."

"How are you getting there? Do you have a plane?" Amy asked.

" 'Course we do! We're detectives, we're never unprepared. But do you need something?"

"Yeah, meet us back at your HQ at dusk tonight." Amy said.

"How come?"

"Just do it. I know what I'm talking about here."

"Uh, okay…" Vector replied.

"Great! See you then." Amy said. She turned off the radio.

"What was that about, Amy?" Tails asked. "Why did you tell them that?"

"Like I said, you'll see!" Amy assured him. "But I told them to meet us at dusk, and we only have a few hours before the sun sets.

Tails just shrugged. "What're we gonna do until we meet them again, then?"

"I think we should follow the signal from the Chaos Emerald we have and try to find another one." Amy suggested.

"Might as well I guess." Tails agreed, though reluctantly.

"Don't worry, my plan's going to help us find Sonic!" Amy reassured him. "I hope…" She added quietly.

"Hey Amy?" Tails said hesitantly. "I may have asked you this already, but, where do you think Sonic is right now?"

"I don't know, Tails. I wish I did. I only know one thing though, he's probably with Eggman. And that's not good. But don't worry, we'll save him!" Amy said optimistically. But her true emotions were far from the ones she was imitating. On the inside, she felt nothing but fear. Tails was right; Eggman really meant it this time. Otherwise, Sonic would have been able to free himself by now, just like always. Amy knew Sonic had been gone for almost a week. If Sonic hadn't escaped by now… would he ever be able to without someone's help? _I just hope we are able to help him, somehow… _A single tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

Tails turned to look at her just in time to see it drip off her chin and hit her leg. "I'm sorry, Amy. Now I made you sad too."

"Nah, don't worry…" She paused. "I was sad already."

"Amy, Sonic would normally get away by now. But I think Eggman has him trapped or something. What if Sonic's hurt really bad? What if... do you… do you think… we'll win this time? I don't want Eggman to win!"

"We… we can't let him, I know. We'll figure something out!" Amy said, trying to reassure herself as much as Tails.

"I'm sorry… sorry I got you involved… sorry that I got Sonic in trouble in the first place… sorry I'm being such a baby… everything's my fault though!"

"Tails, we can't be like this. We'll never save him… not acting like this." Amy said.

"Yeah, I know… I just have to ask myself what he would do."

"I know what he'd do. He was in the same position as you are once. When he was trying to save you and get you back on our side, remember?" Amy asked, recalling the Dark Tails incident. "I could tell he was sort of upset, but he didn't let that stop him. He just kept going, and he never gave up on saving you. He tried to enjoy himself, too!"

"Hey, yeah! Sonic did what a good hero should do! Sonic didn't give up, and he didn't mope around either! And neither will I! We can do this if we think like he does. All we have to do is make the best of everything, and do what we can." Tails said firmly. "An'… an' I bet he's not giving up right now either, wherever he is. I know he's not. And I'm going to save him, just like he saved me! I can be a good hero, just like him."

"That's right!" Amy said happily.

"Hey, look! The glow from our Emeralds is getting a lot brighter. I think we're getting closer!" Tails exclaimed. "We're really far into the city, though. It'll take us a while to get back to the CDA headquarters so we can't look too long."

"Tails, look down there! There's a big field behind those buildings. Do you think the Chaos Emerald we're looking for is down there somewhere?" Amy asked.

"We'll find out!" Tails said. He dipped downward towards the field briefly, then steadied out the direction of the Tornado so that they were flying smoothly over the field. "Maybe you're right. The glow is getting even brighter! Time to bring it in for a landing."

"Okay!"

The wheels on the bottom of the Tornado extended as they neared the ground. The plants and grass on the field were blown forwards gently from the air coming from the front propeller. "Okay, nice and slow here…" Tails said, his descent decreasing speed.

As soon as the wheels began to roll on the ground, the plane bounced and jolted as it skidded roughly through the dirt. Grass that was ripped from the soil flew out from underneath the plane in all directions, a fair amount of it covering Tails and Amy. "Darn it! Can't see!" Tails yelled as he struggled to brush grass and soil out of his face. While doing this, he accidentally let his grip slide off the controls, causing the Tornado to spin out of control until one wheel on the plane finally gave out and collapsed. The right side of the plane crashed to the ground.

A few minutes passes in silence as the two of them recovered.

"Good thing we have belts on!" Was all Amy had to say about it.

"Heh heh, maybe next time I'll aim to land on the cement. I thought these wheels could handle rough landings." Tails said, blushing. "You live and you learn, I guess."

Amy sighed. "Now that _that's _over, let's get out and look around."

"You go ahead and start. Take either the Master Emerald piece or the Chaos Emerald with you so you can track it down. I'm going to make sure the plane's not damaged. The only thing I should have to fix is the one wheel…"

"Okay, hurry up. I'm going to start over there." Amy took the Chaos Emerald, climbed out of the plane, and began walking at a fast pace through the field.

Tails grabbed his toolbox with one hand, the Master Emerald piece with the other, and got out of the plane as well. The extension axle the wheel was attached to was bent to an approximate right angle, but it wasn't something Tails couldn't fix in about ten minutes.

Actually, it took him about half an hour before the repairs were finished. He ended up having to fix the engine as well.

"Tails, aren't you done yet?" Amy called. "The sun is starting to set!"

"Yeah Amy, I'm coming now! Did you find anything?" He yelled, facing his head in the direction of Amy's voice. He couldn't see her over the tall weeds.

"No, but the glow is really bright and the Emerald is sort of warm. I think a Chaos Emerald is right under our feet! I started digging already."

"Okay, I'm on my way!" Tails replied. He took the piece of Master Emerald in one hand, jumped in the air and twirled his namesakes to fly over the weeds. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight, searched around the area, and finally sought out Amy below him. "There she is." He slowed the spinning of his tails and landed neatly next to her. "Nice hole," the fox commented. "Are you sure it's right here? At this spot?"

"This is where the signal was the strongest. I think it's just buried deep. C'mon, help me! It's starting to get dark and the Chaotix are probably on their way back to their Headquarters right now."

Tails bent down on one knee and prepared to start digging.

"Ouch! Uh, never mind! I think I feel something hard!" Amy dug frantically at the spot until she managed to uncover something small and bright. "There it is!" Amy pulled the bright purple Chaos Emerald out of the hole and gently brushed away the dirt. "All right! Now let's hurry up and get back to the HQ."

"Okay, c'mon then. I'll fly us back to the Tornado." Not waiting for an answer, Tails grabbed Amy's wrist and leaped gracefully into the air, spinning his tails as he did so. In less than a minute they were in their respective seats in the Tornado and preparing for takeoff. "Ready to go, Amy? Got both Chaos Emeralds?"

"Right here. Let's hurry back!"

"Okay, Tornado, takeoff!"

"Vector, didn't Amy tell us to be here at dusk?" Espio asked, slight irritation coating his words as he looked out the window at the night sky.

"That's what she told me. Ah well, maybe they just didn't notice."

"It's been dark out for almost an hour." He retorted.

"They must be up to something. Just give 'em some time. Relax." Vector said.

"Whatever. Another fifteen minutes and I'm going to bed." Espio said flatly.

"Someone's cranky!" Charmy commented.

"Charmy, you know he's always like this when it's late at night." Vector reminded the young bee.

They heard a faint ringing sound. "Oh! Oh oh oh! Doorbell! I got it, lemme get it!" Charmy shrieked. He raced to the door and yanked it open before anyone could stop him. Both Espio and Vector turned to see exactly who they had expected, Amy and Tails.

"We were wondering if you were going to come," Espio said.

"Sorry, guys," Tails said. "But we got sorta busy. We found a Chaos Emerald!"

"So that's why!" Vector said. "Cool!"

"Here it is!" Amy said, showing them the shiny purple rock.

"Why'd you bring it inside? We know what they look like." Vector said, perplexed.

"Take it! I'm changing your guys' mission. Or to be specific, adding to it. I need you to take this Chaos Emerald directly to Eggman when you find him, but do it without being seen."

Espio stood up. "I think I can manage that." He said, camouflaging so no one could see him.

"I hate when he does that…" Tails said. Espio returned to his normal color, smirking slightly. "But Amy, why do you want to give Eggman a Chaos Emerald? That's crazy!"

"Think about it for a minute. Chaos Emeralds are like magnets, just like you've told me. If they have the power to attract each other and glow when they're near each other, well, we can use that to help us find Eggman!"

"I get it! If he has an Emerald, we can follow the signal right to him!" Tails said.

"But you guys…" Vector started. "If we're going right to Eggman, why don't you just come with us?"

"Because, Espio can stay hidden so that Eggman doesn't know you guys are there! You two can wait in the plane and have Espio do the rest!" Amy said. "That way Eggman doesn't know. But if we come, we're going to have to confront him and find a way to get him to tell us where Sonic is, and we don't really know how we're going to do that. We need to plan out a little more."

"And, we have to collect the other five Chaos Emeralds so Eggman doesn't get them. I mean, he could be going after them right now!" Tails added. " 'Cause even if we _do _save Sonic, what's the point if Eggman's just gonna use the seven Chaos Emeralds to destroy all of us, including Sonic?"

"…And," Amy continued, "if we have more Chaos Emeralds, we may be able to use them some how so we can make it easier to get inside the base without getting hurt. We'll find Sonic a lot quicker if we have Chaos Emeralds to help us. I mean, using them to power the Tornado would be perfect! We could probably damage his base from the outside. And we already know Tails can transform with them."

"All right, I get it!" Vector said, stopping them. "Yeah, and we don't even know where Eggman is for sure yet, so I guess your idea will work best. So once we give him the Chaos Emerald and come back here, we'll find you and head you off in the right direction, then when you get close enough to the base, you'll start getting a signal from your Emerald."

"Right." Amy said, nodding.

"Yeah, and then we'll just take it from there and see how far we get." Tails said. "But, I should tell you… before he took Sonic… Eggman threatened anyone and everyone who's going to try to get the Chaos Emeralds. So he's obviously planning on going after them. He must be out searching right now!"

"But…" Amy began, looking at Vector, then at Espio. "There's… one thing. We're no longer asking you to find Eggman's base, but to find Eggman. I'm saying that because if Eggman _is _out looking for Chaos Emeralds like we think he is, he won't even be at the base you guys are talking about. We'll have to wait until he gets back before we follow the Emerald's signal."

"Amy's right." Tails agreed. "But this base you guys saw… how do you know it was Eggman's? Especially if you saw it from so far away?"

"Well," Espio said, "It's true we were far away, but we magnified it on camera enough to see a large 'E' on the front of it. I don't know who else would do that. Also, the design looks like something he would do. May I note that it also looked _very _heavily armored?"

"My best guess is that Sonic's in that base somewhere. I don't know where else Eggman would take him. And now that he's got Sonic, he put him in such a high-security, high-armored base because he doesn't want anyone to be able to get him out. I'll bet he knows we're going to try, too! So the plan is, we'll get the other five Emeralds before he does, and use them to track down the one Espio's going to sneak to him. If Eggman's not at his base, which he probably won't be if he's looking for Emeralds, Vector and Charmy can spy on him and radio us when he's heading back to the base. Once he's at the base, Amy and I will set off in the Tornado to track him down. Once we get there… well, we'll take it from there, how's that sound? Everyone got it? Espio finds a way to give Eggman the Emerald without him noticing, Vector and Charmy watch his every move, Amy and I search for the remaining five Chaos Emeralds and get them before Eggman, Vector tells us when Eggman is at his base, then we set off in the Tornado to save Sonic." Tails said. "Sound good?"

Everyone gave him a thumbs up. "Okay, let's get going! Amy, we're starting to search for the Emeralds right now, or at least I am."

Amy nodded in agreement. "I am too, I don't care if it's late."

Vector stood up. Charmy and Espio were already on their feet. "What do you say, boys?" He asked. "Let's start this now!"

"Yeah!" Charmy said, jumping up and down. He fluttered his small wings and floated up into the air. "I'm ready!"

Espio shrugged. "Might as well."

"All right, then!" Tails exclaimed happily. For the first time in a long time, he smiled a true, honest smile. He was _going _to find Sonic, he knew it. "Let's do this!" He was the first to race out the door, closely followed by Amy as they headed for the Tornado. Vector, Espio, and Charmy climbed in their plane, which was slightly larger than the Tornado and was green and black in color. It didn't move as fast, though.

Amy climbed in the seat behind Tails, who was clearly ready to go. Vector was already starting the engine. Amy waved to them. "See you guys soon!"

"Good luck finding those Chaos Emeralds!" Vector yelled back. Espio waved once.

"Let's go, Tails!" Amy said.

"Ready when you are! Tornado, take off! Eggman, here we come." _I know you can hang in there, Sonic! I believe in you. And I hope you believe in me too, 'cause I'm gonna save you, just like you've done for me so many times. I'm going to be like you, and I'm not gonna screw up. But just hang in there! We're on our way._

**Just to clear up why this chapter was titled "A New Hero Rises" in case you didn't quite get it… I just titled it that because it's sort of Tails' turning point in the story, where his attitude changes a bit and he becomes more determined to save his friend and be a hero like him. Anyway please review, and PLEASE tell me if you would read a Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and/or Sonic Heroes adaptation if I made them!**


	7. Chapter 6: Pain and Persistance

**Here's chapter 6, a chapter I think most of you have been expecting/hoping for. In other words, anyone wanna know how Sonic's doing right now? (Smiles evilly)**

CHAPTER 6: Pain and Persistence

Right when you're at the very top of things, right when you think nothing can stop you this time, you're thrown back to the starting line. Just when you are almost there, life smacks you back down. As soon as you feel like everyone is going your way, that everything is revolving around you, there's that one little detail that ruins it all. Life is like that; it scatters your intentions, shatters your hopes.

This feeling was known all too well to Sonic the Hedgehog right now. He had been _this _close to escaping Eggman's giant base, and when he finally managed to find an exit, one of Eggman's robots attacked him and easily forced him behind bars. The bars were solid, stainless steel; material so strong that Sonic's spin dash couldn't even bend them in the slightest. The cell was six feet tall, five feet across, and five feet wide, and was built into a wall. Apparently, Eggman's robots were ordered to place Sonic in the cramped prison after the first escape attempt.

But as a matter of fact, this had been Sonic's eleventh attempt to break out of the giant base, and he had never come closer. It had been the first time any of the robots had actually been able to It was his fourth try since Eggman had left to search for Chaos Emeralds yesterday, and once again, it had been a failed effort. The other seven attempts had been while Eggman was still in the control room for the base, which had been from the day Sonic was captured up until yesterday. Not a smart idea.

Sonic knew very well he wouldn't be trying yet again to escape the giant dome. At least, not today. His fatigue was slowing him down drastically. He had slept for three hours at the most since Eggman locked him in the base. All other hours were spent roaming around the base, finding and destroying robots to try and make it easier for Tails if he truly was going to come and find him. That, he discovered, had been a complete waste of time, for during the night of the third day, while Eggman had been sleeping, Sonic had uncovered a lower level of the base which contained a factory larger than any he had ever seen before, and it was automatically manufacturing Eggman robots of all shapes and sizes. He didn't dare go down there and try and destroy the power source; that would have been suicide. There was strength in numbers, and these robots looked strong enough individually. To make a long story short, for every robot Sonic destroyed, there were still hundreds ready to take its place.

Once Sonic had discovered this, he immediately switched tactics and tried to escape from the base. That was what kept him busy from the third day up until now, but at the current time, he was taking a break. He was weak, tired, and aching all over. Nearly a week of constantly destroying robots, getting attacked by robots, and avoiding (or getting caught in) Eggman's sick traps located throughout the area had finally taken its toll on the hedgehog. Now, it was the sixth day Sonic had spent in the base. And after five days of enjoying throwing insults at Sonic (via his robots in order to keep himself safe, which Sonic promptly destroyed), Eggman decided to give him a break and go off to find a few Chaos Emeralds. _Good thing, too! _Sonic thought coldly. _In the last few days, I've seen his face more times than I ever wanted to see in my life. _He knew he didn't truly mean that, though. He knew very well that Eggman was either A, going after Tails, B, going after the Chaos Emeralds, or C, going after the Master Emerald, and none of those were good things. Plus, he had no way to warn Tails of how dangerous it was here. On one hand, he wanted Tails to show up and find a way to get him out of here (perhaps shutting down all the security systems; Tails was good at that kind of thing), and on the other hand, he felt it would be safer for everyone if Tails let him be. "At least… at least that way, if Eggman were to do something to me, or to the base, only… I would get hurt, not Tails as well." Sonic spoke aloud to himself. "But I know he's going to go after me, no matter what I have to say about it. But that's just Tails… he's stubborn like that." Sonic said, but not unpleasantly. He chuckled. "But… man, I can't just sit here in this cell! But what else can I do though? I can't get out! Uh, I guess, maybe this isn't such a bad thing… Eggman's robots can't get to me through here, and I need to take a break anyway," Sonic said to himself. His words were quiet and slurred. He was falling asleep as he spoke… or rather, passing out from tiredness and pain. From his sitting position, he let his head fall back against the floor as he closed his eyes.

A few minutes passed, and found that the soreness was keeping him awake. He was exhausted, yet he could not sleep. He sat upright again and leaned his head against the back wall. "Man, talk about boring! Ah, well. I'll figure something out," Sonic said confidently. With nothing interesting to do or think about, thoughts of the previous days slowly filled his mind. He soon found himself daydreaming. Had he been sleeping, it would have been a nightmare.

_Too tired to remember everything… _He thought to himself. _I was just… running through the base, trying to find a way out…then I felt the floor beneath me get hot. I looked down. My feet were being electrocuted. One of Eggman's sick traps. Even through my thick shoes, I felt the pain. I remember… screaming. Loudly. Very loudly. Almost as loud as the day Tails and Eggman used that giant laser to nearly burn the life out of my body… that day… but I knew I had to get out of this, so I slowly but surely made my way backwards, back to the safe floor, or as safe as it gets around here. It was only five or six steps, but it must have taken ten minutes. Then I made a daring leap over the floor area that I could see was powered up with the electricity and luckily landed safely on the other side. Not too far up, I turned a corner and ran straight into a robot about my size. It would have hurt a lot worse, but luckily I hadn't been running my normal speed due to the fact that I could barely feel my feet. I fell over after I ran into it, and it just decided to kick me in the gut. I laid there for a few seconds, struggling to catch my breath as it had knocked the wind out of me. As soon as I opened my eyes, I could tell the robot's buddies were showing up. In no time there were about thirty of them, and they were faster than I gave them credit for. I hadn't known at the time that they could move rather quickly, and when I timed my attack, I didn't calculate the robot's speed into my plans. So when I charged for it, it dodged and looped around behind me, hooked its arms around mine, and began to push them upwards and towards my back at the same time. I swear, it felt like it was going to snap my arms right off my shoulders! I guess I got an adrenaline rush then, because even though I could feel a lot of pressure on my arms, I fought it off and threw the bot over my head. It was kinda cool how it slammed right into another one and they both blew up. Served them right. Although they were fast, I knew they weren't as fast as me (who is?), so I just spin dashed through the rest, taking caution not to let any of them go behind me, as I learned quickly that that's where they attack. Afterward, I kept on running, and after four and a half days of searching, I finally found Eggman's control room at the far side of the base. This all happened yesterday, about an hour after Eggman left to find Chaos Emeralds, so I knew he wasn't in there. I walked in and found a button that read next to it, "Press here to unseal all exits, entrances, and other openings in the base." Real specific, eh? So, not thinking as usual, I pressed it, and regrettably found out that it was another trap, nothing more, nothing less. Instead of opening my many optional escape routes, it opened a sliding door on the top of the control room, and out came three giant robots with spiked hammers. They surrounded me, too. This is the part where I normally escape unharmed, right? Just like always?_ Sonic thought dryly to himself._ Yeah, that's what I'm used to doing, but my feet were still numb, my arms were sore, and even though I gave a tried and true effort, one hammer knocked me right in the head and I fell unconscious. I still don't know how long I was out of it, but I know I awoke some time later that day… at least I think I did. My head was still bleeding when I woke up, so it couldn't have been to awful long. It was still light out, and it didn't feel like a super long time, so I'm still assuming it was the same day. I guess that's how I ended up in this cage-box. It's where I was when I awoke. That robot must've put me in here yesterday when it knocked me out. I guess Eggman was more prepared than I thought he was. I guess he knew I would try and escape, so he ordered his robots to stop me if I did. Probably shouldn't be too surprised, though._

Sonic put his hand on his chin as he tried to think of another way to get out that he hadn't already tried. What he had just recalled had only been over the course of one day, too, which was yesterday, soon after Eggman left the base. None of the other days had been much better, either.

He thought back to the day before yesterday. Same ol' story, basically. Robots, traps, dead ends, robots… oh yeah, and the floating platforms, Sonic thought. _Almost forgot about those. Those hidden springboards of death… as soon as I stepped on one, it launched me into the air! And the strange this was… once it popped up, it stayed there! Good thing, too. It was the only thing I could land on at the time… the top of the base where it launched me was so high up… landing on the floor where I had been from that height would have been no joyride. After I landed on the floating platform again, I was high enough up so that I could see a whole different area of the base that I didn't know about! From where I was at, I could see a small, open tunnel about three feet in diameter at the very top of the wall… and I could see more of the base through it! Perhaps I could have gotten out from there… but as soon as I was about to jump for it, the platform lowered itself again! And no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it to go back up! And I thought the area of the base I knew was big… I should have known there was more. This place must be huge… maybe I'm just in the center of it all, and I'm surrounded by more giant areas of the base I don't know about. Maybe that's why I can't seem to find a way out! Man… I'm going to be here a while!_

Sonic's not-so-pleasant thoughts were interrupted by a loud, all-too-familiar voice whose owner was standing directly in front of the cell, peering evilly through the bars.

"Hello, Sonic. I figured I'd stop by and check on my robots. I'll be leaving again to find a Chaos Emerald or two later on tonight. I'm assuming you tried to escape again, huh?" Eggman said. "Face it, Sonic! You can't get out! And now that I finally have you, I won't let you go." The last five words of his sentence were filled with venom. "So try all you want, but you'll never get out of here!"

"Hmph. That's what you think!" Sonic said, the slightest hint of a grin showing on his face, not even thinking about what his life would be like if he had to spend the rest of it in here.

Eggman pulled a remote out of his pocket and showed it Sonic. "See this? This is your only way out, right here in the palm of my hand. There is no way you can break through the steel that covers this base. And only I can open it. This remote controls all."

"Why, 'cause you're too lazy to do it yourself?" Sonic retorted.

Eggman ignored the comment. He pressed a button on the remote, and suddenly, the bars lifted from Sonic's cell. "Get up."

"No." Sonic replied straightforwardly.

"Get up! Now!" Eggman said more harshly.

"Make me." Sonic replied. "I'd rather rot and die in here than do anything to please you!"

Rage overpowering any control he had, Eggman drew back a fist and aimed for the side of Sonic's head.

An easy block. Sonic grabbed his wrist, stopping the fist from progressing any further. "Even in the condition I'm in now, Eggman, that was too easy. You weren't built for hand-to-hand combat." Sonic paused for a brief moment. "Maybe body-slamming, though." Sonic released his wrist.

"Hedgehog, just come with me to the control room. I want to strike a deal with you. Now or never, though. Come before I change my mind."

_The control room? Maybe I can find the button that actually unlocks the base exit._ "Fine! But you better not try any tricks, Eggman!" Sonic followed Eggman as he led him to the control room.

"Why'd you lock the door?" Sonic demanded after they both stepped inside the control room.

He ignored Sonic. "Sit." He said, gesturing to a metal, bead-shaped area.

Sonic eyed the large ingot carefully and determined it looked safe enough. He sat down on the end of it, knowing that he wouldn't last long on his feet it this state. "Let's just cut to it. What's this 'deal'?"

"It's fairly simple. You help me find the Chaos Emeralds, and I'll let you go."

Sonic pretended to consider. "Yeah, yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Sonic, have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" Eggman said before pausing abruptly, now noticing there was something terribly wrong with that statement. "Don't answer that."

"I won't."

"I'm serious though. Help me find them, and I will release you. You have my promise!" Eggman said.

"What if I choose to decline this offer?" Sonic said, folding his arms.

"Oh, nothing much… you'll just never be able to escape this base… oh yeah, and you'll never run again." Eggman added.

"Heh, who's going to stop me, Eggie?" Sonic asked.

"I'm warning you, Sonic! Don't do anything stupid."

"Me? You're one to talk."

"That's IT! I've tried long enough to be nice about this!" Eggman lunged for Sonic and pushed him hard. Caught off guard, Sonic fell backwards, completely on his back against the metal table. "E-899! Do it, now!"

"E-899? What?" Sonic looked around frantically and was just about to sit up when he saw the robot appear from thin air. Before he had time to move, he felt a large, metallic fist pound into his stomach. Sonic gasped and struggled to catch his breath. He clutched the area where he had been struck. After taking a few calming breaths, he looked over at Eggman and grinned. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"…Sonic, I didn't think I'd have to resort to this, but…" Eggman snapped his fingers. Before Sonic knew what was happening, the robot's long, heavy, metallic arms crashed down on his knees. They must have weighed fifty pounds each.

"AAARRRGGGHHHHH!" Sonic squeezed his eyes shut tight. He couldn't resist screaming; the pain was too much. He felt warm tears soaking the insides of his eyelids. His entire body was already shaking violently. He inhaled quickly and sharply to try and keep himself from screaming again. His kneecaps were shattered. Just when he thought it couldn't get much worse, the robot's oversized arms crashed down on his shins, cracking them slightly, but still enough to put Sonic in excruciating pain. The pain putting him in complete shock by now, Sonic made no noise this time. He just stared blankly at the ceiling. His vision was blurring slightly. He could do nothing, couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't even scream. For a long time he just laid there, still and silent. The few minutes that they were in reality felt like hours. Both of his legs were broken, and blood drenched the area where he lay.

"That's enough, E-899." Eggman said. The robot marched off back into the base. As Eggman looked down at Sonic, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Although it was true he despised Sonic, he also had a fair amount of respect for the hedgehog's undying determination. His hatred overpowered the sorrow, though. "We're all done, now." He said. "Are we going to cooperate now? Since you can't move your legs, tell me where any of the Emeralds are, any one of them, and I'll leave you alone."

Sonic was panting heavily. He didn't want to talk, not now. A part of him wanted to pass out, and just sleep for a long, long time. "I don't know…" Sonic said hoarsely.

"Don't lie."

"…And… and even if… even if I did, I wouldn't tell! I'll never… I'll never help you!"

"You sure are persistent, aren't you? Do you just want to be punished more?"

_Don't give in; don't let him know you're hurting! Don't give him that satisfaction! _Sonic demanded inwardly to himself. _When Tails was trapped on the Black Hawk, he got through everything Eggman dished out. Yeah, he didn't give up. And I won't either. _Sonic thought to himself. He didn't realize that sometimes he admired Tails just as much as Tails admired him. _This isn't something I can't get through, _Sonic convinced himself one last time before speaking. "You can hurt me and torture me…. all you want… but.. I'll never…….. give…….. up………!" Sonic forced the words through his clenched teeth as he began to smirk. He laughed under his breath in an almost evil manner. He inhaled a sharp, deep breath before speaking again. "You really… thought you could make me tell you….. this time, didn't you? Don't you know… don't you know who I am by now? I'm Sonic the hedgehog! I'll… I won't give up! I… I promised Tails… I'd be okay." Sonic said, his words slurred and slow, yet still calm.

"You don't look okay to me!" Eggman pointed out.

"Maybe… not on the outside…" Sonic said, teeth still clenched. He felt that if he wasted too much energy talking, the pain in his legs would worsen. There were two things he felt right now. Pain, and determination. Determination not to tell Eggman anything he shouldn't know. Determination to keep trying. To even stay awake at this point. "Would you… would you have done the same thing to Tails if it was him… like you were planning?"

"Heh heh, worse, my friend, much worse. You see, Tails was about as persistent as you sometimes, and one of those times was when I was trying to put the robot memory chip in his arm. But getting to the point, I would have done the same or worse to Tails… because… I know. I know he has a Chaos Emerald. You didn't think I was that stupid, did you? And by using that ever-so-handy E-899 that you met a few minutes ago, I was able to spy on him and find out his plans. I know very well that they are planning on using the Chaos Emerald Tails has to track me down and save you. If it was Tails I would have taken, I wouldn't have let up until he gave me that Chaos Emerald, and told me where the others are. You see, I knew before I captured you that he had a Chaos Emerald in his possession… and if he even makes it inside this base, he's going to be sorry. He won't have it any better off than you."

Sonic wondered for a minute why Eggman was telling him his entire plan, then easily concluded in the privacy of his own mind that he was only telling him because his legs were broken, and there wasn't much he could do to stop him right now. "You… when you… had him on the Black Hawk… tell me now…" Sonic demanded. "What… what did you do to him? Because… if I ever find out it was equal to what I'm going through, you'll be dead! Dead! One way… or another…"

"Whatever!" Eggman reached for Sonic's arm to turn him over on his front, but Sonic slapped his hand out of the way.

"Keep… keep your hands away from me, will you?" Sonic snapped.

"Hmph. I'll just turn you by your legs, then!"

Sonic swore under his breath.

Eggman reached for Sonic's limp legs, grabbed them, and turned both of them over, Sonic immediately turning over with them to relieve some of the pressure. He was now on his front.

"What, I can't… choose what position I want to lay here in either?" Sonic asked.

"Not today!" Eggman walked opened a drawer under on the side of the cold, metal bed and pulled out a rather large syringe, holding it threateningly in front of Sonic's face.

The hedgehog just stared at it, then grinned. "What… you break both of my legs… and now you're gonna poke me? Big deal." Sonic said, once again without thinking. _Wait… what's in that shot? I could care less about some little needle going into my skin, but what's worrying me is… if it's something Eggman's injecting inside me… it can't be anything good! _"What's in that….?"

"You'll find out!" Eggman assured him.

"Wha…?" Sonic struggled quickly to make his way off the bed. He couldn't let Eggman inject him with that... because whatever the liquid inside it was, couldn't be anything good. He could be in danger. He used his hands to push himself forward quickly until his legs were hanging off the end of the ingot. Before Eggman had time to stop him, his legs hit the ground. "Uhh!" Sonic groaned loudly. He let himself fall forward onto the ground and clutched his legs.

Eggman just shook his head and shrugged. "You really don't think, do you? Are you not aware that both of your legs are fractured in multiple places? And even if you could stand up, where are you going to go? I locked you in."

"Ba…bastard!" Sonic said, just barely above a whisper.

"I beg your pardon?" Eggman asked almost too pleasantly, and snapped his fingers. E-899 came back into view, directly above where Sonic was sprawled on his front. It lifted its arms up high threateningly, preparing to do more damage to Sonic. Looking over his shoulder, Sonic saw it getting ready to snap him in half.

"You…you heard me!"

Eggman snapped his fingers again. The robot slammed its arms downward toward Sonic, but the hedgehog quickly rolled out of the way. E-899's arms crashed into the ground.

"Hmph!" Eggman clapped this time and the robot immediately hoisted Sonic off the ground roughly and slammed him back on the ingot before fading out of view. Sonic groaned and attempted to make himself somewhat comfortable. "I'm assuming you had that fancy dodging move planned the whole time?"

"Yep, you guessed it!" Sonic replied.

"Well, I'm amazed at your effort to escape, but you're back where you started now, aren't you?" Eggman said, taking out the syringe again.

_Well, this isn't good. But what can I do? I can't move! I guess I'm just going to have to live with whatever he's going to do to me until I can figure out a way to get out of this death trap… I think I can manage that. I mean, how much worse can it get? I can get through this, no problem! Whatever Eggman's planning on doing, I'll be ready!_

"Actually, this one is nothing to worry about… it'll take away the pain in your legs so I don't have to listen to you complain about it." Eggman retorted.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Really…" He said sarcastically. "…eh… whatever."

Sonic felt the end of the small, plastic tube make contact with his back, right in between his two quills. He felt a small twinge of pain as the small needle as it broke smoothly through his skin and slid inside. _How weird can it get… Eggman as a doctor…_ It stayed for a few seconds before Eggman pulled it back out. A few seconds later, the pain in his legs decreased slightly. "Hm."

"Now for the other one…" Eggman said, reaching back in the drawer and pulling out another syringe. It had a thicker needle, but it was shorter as well. Eggman laughed evilly to himself, just loud enough for Sonic to hear.

_Okay, maybe that last one really was a painkiller. This one on the other hand…_

Sonic's thoughts were interrupted when he felt the end of the syringe touch the back of his neck. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Just shut up. Or are you needle-shy?" Eggman said insultingly.

"Hmph! It all depends on what's _in _the needle," Sonic retorted.

Eggman ignored Sonic and pressed down on the top of the syringe. Once again, the needle slid through Sonic's skin. When Sonic felt it sting immensely, he knew Eggman was injecting him with something that he shouldn't be injecting him with. He didn't fight it, though. _Why bother fighting it if there's no way to get away right now anyway? Besides, it's just a little bit of liquid in a needle… it can't do too much damage. _Eggman pulled the needle out. Sonic flinched slightly. He tried to reach behind him to rub the back of his neck, but found he could barely move his arm. _Can it?_ He suddenly began to feel very, very tired, and his vision blurred. He yawned. "Eggman…..what did……what did you……………………" Sonic never finished his question. His eyes closed.

The whole while, Eggman had watched Sonic's movements come to an end. "That's more like it." Eggman told Sonic as he stared at his closed eyes. "You'll never run again, I told you. I warned you. But it's too late for you now. You'll never move again. Finally… you'll be still, forever!"

**What do you think? Please review this one, I've been working on it since… uh, since I ended chapter 3, I think. I know I've had it planned for a while. (And to think Sonic is actually my favorite character…. I don't know why I enjoyed typing up this chapter so much, but I did!) Anyway, I hope you liked it, chapter 7 will be up soon. Please review!**

**Oh, and before I forget.. I think I've made up my mind as to whether I will be doing SA/SA2/SH adaptations. So far, everyone seems to like the idea, plus I think they'll probably end up more popular than this series is simply because everyone is more familiar with them. Not to mention, I really wanna type them anyway! It'll be fun for me. So the answer is yes, and I will probably do all three of them! **


	8. Chapter 7: An Emerald on the Coast

**Well, I guess I really don't have much of an excuse for the long wait other than a writer's block… I just couldn't think of any good ideas that would make a good chapter… but I finally figured something out that would work, so here's the next chapter.**

CHAPTER 7: Emerald on the Coast

It had been four o'clock in the morning when Tails and Amy finally decided to call it a night and hit the sack in the Tornado. Not much progress had been made since they started; there were no hints that a Chaos Emerald was anywhere near them. They had made their way all the way to a city seventy-nine miles away from the outskirts of Station Square, and were still having no luck.

Tails yawned as he awoke, but didn't move. He blinked a few times to let his eyes adapt to the bright sunlight above him. In his mind, he planned out what they should do with the rest of the day. Continue searching for Chaos Emeralds for one… and hope that the Chaotix have made progress. But besides that… what else was there to do?

Tails pictured in his mind what Sonic might be up to right now. Maybe he was still in with Eggman somewhere, trying to find a way to escape…? Or… no… maybe he already escaped somehow! That thought had never crossed Tails' mind. Maybe he was waking up to the same sunlight he himself was right now, lying in a wide open field and staring at the bright blue sky. Tails smiled at the image in his mind. Knowing Sonic, he wouldn't be too surprised if this is exactly what had happened; after all, he knew very well that Sonic wouldn't stay in one place for too long before getting on his feet again, regardless of if Eggman tried to stop him. Sonic was free like that. "I wonder if he's back in Station Square right now, looking for me...?" The thought almost tempted Tails to boot up the Tornado and go find out, but luckily his common sense kicked him back to reality and he stopped daydreaming.

_Or maybe he's still trapped with Eggman. Otherwise… he would have gotten away by now! _Tails thought sadly. _Or maybe he's… _"No. No! I'm not gonna think this way. I'm done with that!"

His silent thoughts waking him up fully by now, Tails looked up at the clock on the control panel.

2:14.

"What?" Tails sat bolt upright and took a closer look at it. "Amy! Wake up, it's late! We wasted a lot of time already!"

"……what…" Amy opened one eye and saw Tails staring down at her. "G'mornin'…"

"It's not morning anymore Amy! We slept in too late!" Tails said before climbing up from the floor of the plane and sitting in the pilot's seat. The Tornado was in the air before Amy had time to say another word. He looked frantically out over the city as the plane got higher and higher, then looked back at the Emerald sitting on the control panel. It wasn't glowing. "Can't believe we wasted this much time… I bet we could've found two more by now if we hadn't gone to sleep in the first place! "

Amy rubbed her eyes sleepily, then her mind registered what Tails was saying and she sat up. "…how did we sleep in so late?" Amy said. "You're right… from now on, we keep looking until we find the Chaos Emeralds and Sonic! I don't wanna waste time any more than you." She paused. "Otherwise… it may be too late when we find Sonic!" Even saying that made her stomach jolt. She looked off into the distance, off into the bright sky. "…Sonic… where are you?" Her voice was barely even a whisper, so that Tails couldn't hear her.

"We'll fly around this city for now and see if anything happens. If not, we'll go back across Station Square again and go the other way. I don't think the Chaos Emeralds can scatter much farther than this. We haven't found anything in this direction yet so I dunno if we will."

"Yeah…good idea." Amy said.

"Don't fall back asleep!" Tails begged. "I need you to keep an eye on the Chaos Emerald and Master Emerald piece and tell me if they start actin' weird or glowing or anything."

" 'Kay." Amy said, waking up enough to become more aware of what was going on.

"Wait a minute… the Chaos Emerald I'm holding right now is starting to feel a bit warmer. Maybe that's a sign that there is another one around here." Tails said. They continued flying higher up, so that they could get a full view of the city. It sure was a large city. They thought to themselves silently for the next few minutes as they searched. In their minds, both of them were trying to be optimistic, convincing themselves it would all work out okay in the end.

The glow from the Emerald soon got stronger as they headed towards the water. Amy looked around."How about that beach down there?" Amy suggested, pointing to the beach in question. "The glow from the Emerald seems to be leading us that way."

"Okay, let's give it a try!" Tails began going downward. Another Chaos Emerald already? He smiled at the possibility. At this rate, maybe the others would be a cinch, too. "Wow, this is cool! That didn't take too awful long. I hope the other ones are this easy to—"

"Hey Tails, what's that noise?" Amy interrupted.

"What noise?" Tails looked over his shoulder at Amy.

"It sounds like a low rumbling…" Amy replied.

"That's not a good sign," Tails said.

"Is there something wrong with the plane?" Amy asked.

"I… don't know… there shouldn't be, though! Unless… it has something to do with the Chaos Emerald we have and the one we're looking for. I mean, Chaos Emeralds attract each other so it wouldn't be too unusual if…"

"Are you trying to tell me that the Chaos Emerald that's down there somewhere is pulling this plane towards it?" Amy nearly shrieked. Just then, the plane turned almost completely vertical and headed for the ground, vibrating as it did so.

"Well, yeah. It sorta makes sense, though," he said.

"Well, don't just sit there!" Amy yelled over the rumbling, which seemed to get louder by the second. "Do something!"

"What do you want me to do? I can't control it like this, not enough to change it's direction!"

"TAILS!" She yelled as if she hadn't heard him. They were getting dangerously close to the ground, and the Tornado was going too fast by now to stop their descent, and even if this wasn't the case, there was still the matter of stopping the Chaos Emeralds from attracting each other since that was why they were falling in the first place. "What are we going to do?"

"Crash, if we don't think of somethin'!" Tails hollered. He was trying to think of anything they could do… he could abandon the plane and fly to safety, but he wasn't going to leave Amy! And there was no way he could stop what was happening either! "Wait a minute…" Tails whispered. An idea had occurred to the young fox, one so bizarre and crazy that it just might work… "Submarine mode…!" He thought aloud. He remembered the first time he had used it… he had been fighting E-202, codenamed Hydro, one of Eggman's robots, near the ocean and ended up having to rescue Sonic.

Amy overheard Tails' words. "Submarine mode? Are you crazy? What if the plane goes under water and doesn't finish transforming in time? It'll flood, and we'll both end up drowning!"

"Got any better ideas?" Tails shouted over the rumbling. The alarm on the control panel sounded, signaling that the Tornado's sensors were detecting ground not too far below them.

Amy said nothing. "Ugh… okay, I guess anything's worth a try now…but if we end up being about to die, my last move will be swinging my hammer in your direction!"

Tails took a split second to look over his shoulder and give her a confused stare. "What choice do we have? I have to take the chance!" Tails looked back at the control panel, and without a second more of hesitation, spoke the command: "Tornado, transform! Submarine mode, now!" And he slammed his fist down on the light blue button.

Had Tails spoke the command a half of a second later, it would have been too late. The wings retracted and the glass shield came over the cockpit. The plane finished transforming just as the tip of it made contact with the water. The splash the plane made soaked every beachgoer within a thirty yard radius.

However, just barely being able to make it to the water, the plane hit the sand on the bottom, which caused the engine some damage. The ending result: the Tornado's engine gave out and the transformed plane was now resting uselessly on the bottom of the lake. The only good thing about this was the fact that they were only about twenty-five feet under since the plane hadn't gone far enough away from the land for it to be too awfully deep.

Tails opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he closed them. No water was inside the plane. Nothing was being flooded. "Amy?" he said. "You… you okay?"

"Yeah… I think so," she said, rubbing her head.

"We're lucky that worked."

"Yeah… now if only we could figure out how to get this thing back above the water."

"Yeah, I think the engine took some damage. The landing wasn't too bad though, so maybe we'll be able to still get this thing out of the water." Tails started up the plane again. He looked at the Chaos Emerald which had fallen on the ground from the impact of the crash. "It's still glowing, but I think it's close enough to the Emerald we're looking for so that it won't go crazy again. But as far as getting the plane above water again, I got an idea."

"What?"

"Well, let's swim above water first and see if we can find the other Chaos Emerald that this one was just attracting. Once we get it, we can use both of them to power the plane so that it can fly. I'm sure two Chaos Emeralds is plenty of power, even if the engine is messed up now. Whaddaya say?"

"Okay, but what about the Tornado?"

"It isn't going anywhere like this. We'll just leave it here and swim back down when we have the other Emerald."

"Is this water shallow enough?"

"Yeah, I don't think we're too far out. It shouldn't be too deep in this area. I think we can hold our breaths long enough to get us above water." Tails said.

"All right," Amy agreed.

"Now when I open the cockpit, water's gonna flood in, so we gotta get out as quickly as we can. Same thing when we get back in. It's okay if some water gets in, but we have to be able to breath."

"Got it. Let's go!" Without waiting any longer, Amy pushed upward on the glass and it opened. They held their breath and swam out before Tails quickly shoved down on the glass, closing it. The bottom of the plane was filled with about six inches of water, but that wasn't too bad.

Tails pointed upward and motioned for Amy to swim. They both ascended, slowly getting higher and higher until they were out of the water. It wasn't a tough feat; it didn't even take a minute. As soon as they were above the water, Tails grabbed Amy by the wrist and took to the air. He chuckled.

"What?"

"You know, I just remembered… there were oxygen tanks in there in case we needed them."

Amy sighed. "Ah well, we didn't really need them that bad."

Tails was about to laugh again, but upon seeing what he saw on the beach, the smile died from his face. "Uh, I think we found that Chaos Emerald."

Amy's eyes followed the direction of Tails' pointed finger. "It looks like someone else found it first."

Down on the beach, apparently unaware of the chaotic incident that had occurred a few minutes ago, was a young human boy no more than four years old. Cupped in his small hands was the Chaos Emerald. Tails and Amy watched as he raced back towards what they assumed were his parents. "Mommy! Lookit! I found a shiny rock over dere!" He pointed in the direction where he had picked up the Emerald.

"Better go down there," Tails said. He slowed down his tails a bit and let himself descend to the ground. He released Amy's hands when her feet touched the sand, then landed smoothly next to her. He reached up and squeezed the water from his dripping bangs, then brushed them out of his face. "Let's go see if he'll give it to us," Tails said.

They walked over to the kid and his parents. " 'scuse me?" Tails said, tapping the boy on the shoulder. He was almost as tall as Tails. He turned around abruptly and looked at him.

"Who're you?" He asked curiously.

"Uh… you don't know me, but my name's Tails, and this is Amy. You know that rock you just found?"

"It's mine. I found it all by myself!"

"Uh, yeah, but we sort of need it. It, uh…" Tails paused as he tried to think of a way to explain it. How did you go about explaining the concept of Chaos powers to a four-year-old, anyway? "Let's just say it has magical powers." Tails said. He soon discovered that this was the wrong choice of words.

"It's _magic?_" The child said. "Wow! That's awesome!"

Tails slapped a hand on his head and groaned.

Amy walked over to the child's mother, who was standing a few feet behind him. "Do you know what a Chaos Emerald is?" She whispered.

"Yes."

"Great. You can explain that to him later." She turned away from the lady and looked back at Tails, who was still trying to kindly explain why they needed the Emerald.

"Look, if you give me that, I'll trade you another one that looks just like it!" Tails said. Amy shook her head. Tails heard her mutter, "Liar," under her breath. He shot her a glare and quickly shook his head no.

"What color is it?"

"Dark blue."

"Okay, blue's my fav'ite color!" The boy exclaimed.

"Stay here, I'll be right back. Here, give me that now." The boy handed him the Emerald. "Thanks! Don't move."

Tails ran through the shallow water until it was deep enough to swim in, then inhaled deeply and dove down under the water and searched for the Tornado. Easily catching sight of it, he poked his head up and took one last breath before heading downward towards it. He spun his tails to propel him downward more quickly, and found that it made swimming much easier. The whole way down there, the young fox imagined himself in the four-year-old boy's shoes: finding a pretty rock, having some random two-tailed fox walk up to you and tell you that the rock in question had magical powers, then watch him run into the water and apparently drown himself after taking the Chaos Emerald from him. Had he not been under water, he would have chuckled.

Once he reached his plane, Tails opened the cockpit, quickly got in, and closed it. It was half-filled with water now from opening it and letting part of the ocean flood in a second time. There was still enough airspace to breath, though, luckily. He took the Chaos Emerald he had just received and the one that was laying on the seat, and put them both in their respective spots on the control panel. They glowed momentarily, and then Tails tried the engine. The plane lifted off the ground. "Okay!" He exclaimed. He tilted the plane upward. It got increasingly faster as it went. Tails ascended the Tornado out of the water, making a huge splash. "Heheh," he chuckled to himself. "So now the kid found a pretty rock, had a two-tailed fox come up to him and inform him that it has magical powers only to have him take it, then watched and probably thought I drowned myself, _and_ see a giant plane blast out of the water from nowhere." Tails landed the Tornado in the sand and got out, feeling rather soggy from all the water. He was carrying the dark blue Emerald he had promised to the boy.

Amy gasped. "That's the fake one Sonic had since he found it!" She exclaimed. "It helped us track you down when you were on the Black Hawk!"

"That's right. It's not like we need it anymore, though." He turned to the boy, who was unaware of what any part of their conversation meant. "Here ya go."

"Thanks, mister!" The child took a moment to stare down at the blue Emerald that was now in his hands, admiring its shine. "Ooh, and I like your extra tail! You got two of 'em!"

Tails blushed. Finally, someone besides Sonic or his other friends who didn't pick on him because of it, even if it was a four year old. The fox rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, thanks!"

"Where'd ya get it?" He asked. He walked behind Tails' back to get a closer look and gently touched the tip of the tail on his left.

Tails laughed pleasantly. "I've always had it!"

"Tails, we should probably get going now." Amy suggested.

"Yeah, we gotta go! See ya!" Tails said as he turned away. The boy watched them go. Without another word, the two of them climbed in the Tornado, waved, and took off.

**Hope you liked it, and please review and all that good stuff. I have part of chap. 8 done so it shouldn't be ridiculously long before it's up, but now I have my school schedule to adapt to… **


	9. Chapter 8: A Job for a Detective

CHAPTER 8: A Job for a Detective

Espio looked down at his com-link as it beeped. "Vector? What's up?"

"Me and Charmy are still in the plane, but I can see an island from here. Eggman's base is on it. We got closer than we did last time. It's definitely his. There are robots all around the island." Vector replied.

"So you're sure? Okay, give me the radar coordinates and I'll get on it… that is, as soon as Tails finds another Chaos Emerald. I still don't understand why he wants to find another Emerald first since he already has one and I still have the one he gave me, but maybe he thinks it'll be easier to follow the signal if he has two. I also don't see why Tails doesn't just go straight to the base now instead of having me give Eggman a Chaos Emerald so he can follow the signal."

"Don't you remember? He wants to find as many Chaos Emeralds as possible first, that way he can use them if he needs them in the base. And keep them from Eggman. If he has us find the base for him while he searches for more Emeralds, well it's like killing two birds with one stone! If he just went straight to the base before, all the Chaos Emeralds would still be out there, just waiting for Eggman to find them."

"But what's the point of trying to avoid that if we're just about to give him one free?" Espio inquired.

"Hey, guys," came Tails' voice in both of their com-links. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was listening to you guys talking. And I'm starting to wonder if maybe this isn't such a great idea. Even if it's going to lead us right to him, giving Eggman a Chaos Emerald also gives him a chance to find the ones we haven't found yet by using the Emerald to lead him to them. So let's change the plan while we still can."

"What do you mean?" Vector asked.

"Well… this isn't going to work unless Espio wants to do it, because it mostly involves him. If you don't agree, Espio, then Vector can just gimme the coordinates for the base that he said he found." Tails paused as the glory of that idea disappeared. He sighed. "The only thing about that is… I don't really know how to follow coordinates. I'm not a detective. So, uh, in other words, Espio, you gotta do this for me." Tails said.

"What is it exactly that you want me to do?"

"I want you to wait at the base with the Emerald once you get there. That way I can follow the signal from my Emerald to the one I'm going to give you."

"You found another one?" Espio asked.

"Yep. Just a few minutes ago. Long story, but yeah, I found one." Tails said. "Anyway, once you're there, wait until I get there, sound good? Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm giving you another one since you already have one, I'm doing that just in case Eggman decides to sneak attack one of us. If you have some Emeralds and I have some, then he won't be able to get them all."

"So that's why you're having me wait." Espio replied.

"But Espio," Tails started.

"Yes?"

"Be careful. From what I heard Vector say a few minutes ago, the place is filled and surrounded with robots. I don't wan' anyone to get hurt."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Where are you right now?"

"In the Tornado. Where are you? I'll come give you the Emerald."

"Chaotix Detective Agency. I won't go anywhere. Come on over." Espio told him.

"Okay, I'll meet you down there in ten."

"Wait!" Vector said as Tails and Espio were about to hang up.

"Yeah?" Tails said.

"Is there anything else you want me and Charmy to do? We could go with Espio, you know."

"Nah, the reason I want him to do it is because he can go invisible and stuff. It's better that way. Eggman won't know he's even there that way!" Tails said.

"Yeah, guess you're right. Okay, we're heading back to the CDA. Espio are you there right now?"

"Yeah. I'm waiting for Tails to bring me the Chaos Emerald." He said.

"I'm coming with it right now, just hang on!" Tails said.

"Okay. Over and out, you guys."

"Okay." Vector replied.

"Over an' out." Tails said.

About ten minutes later, Tails located the CDA and landed the Tornado in front it. He and Amy got out and opened the door without knocking, since they knew Espio was expecting them. Espio walked over to them.

"Here." Tails said. He handed him the Chaos Emerald. "The more I think about it, the more the idea of Eggman having a Chaos Emerald bugs me. Don't let him or any of the robots get it, _please!" _Tails said. "And be careful over there, too! It's gotta be dangerous."

"Right. I'm on it, Tails. We pretty much went over everything earlier, so there's not much to say now. I might as well get going. Vector and Charmy should be back here soon. I'll take our plane. I have a much easier time piloting that than the Tornado."

"Oh, and uh, one more thing. I'm going to come as soon as you get there. You're probably wondering why I don't just come with you, right?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"I want you to tell me what things are like, how many robots there are, if you meet any trouble on the way there, and most importantly, if Eggman's there or not. I have some things in my workshop that may help us out in certain situations that I can grab before I come. Plus, while you're on your way there, I'm going to try and find more Emeralds." Tails said.

"Do you want me to go into the base with you once you arrive? I'm sure it would make things easier."

"No, there's something else you, Vector and Charmy can do once I get there. Do you think you could, uh, see if you could find more Emeralds while me and Amy are at the base?"

"No problem."

"Great, 'cause the more we find, the less Eggman can find. But if you wanna try getting inside the base before I come, go ahead! And if you happen to find Sonic… even better! The only thing that I'm worried about now is… well… I hope Sonic is really in there. What if Eggman took him somewhere else that we don't know about?" Tails asked fearfully.

"We'll cross that road when we come to it, Tails. Just stay focused on what we're trying to do now."

"Yeah, I know..." he replied.

"We're wasting time, here. I'm going to get going. Vector and Charmy are back; I just heard the plane's engine. I'll see you later."

"Okay… see you at the base!" Tails said. He watched as Espio raced out the door. _Wow… this is it. It won't be long before I'm making my way through the giant base… and hopefully, it won't be long before we find Sonic, either. I better go get ready. And see if there's more Emeralds around here, too. _"C'mon, Amy. Let's keep looking!"

"Got it. Let's go!"

They got in the Tornado and were off. One hour passed in searching. Two hours. Three hours. Four hours later brought them to eleven o'clock at night. No progress had been made. They had flown all around Station Square, gone out over the ocean, and flew over a desert, and the Emerald they had didn't warm up or even glow the least bit.

"Let's call it a night." Tails said. "We're not going to find anything else around here. I say we just hope that what we have is enough and wait until Espio tells us he's at the base. We'll go back to the workshop and I'll fix the damage that the engine took so this thing can travel at normal speed again. That way it won't be a total waste of time."

"At normal speed? It slowed down when we crashed under water?"

"Yeah, like I said, the engine got damaged. It was doing fine before we gave Espio that other Emerald… but the one Emerald we have isn't enough power to let this thing go at full speed with the engine in bad shape. I think I should fix it." Tails said.

"Okay, that's probably a good idea. I'm getting bored of searching, too. I hope Espio finds that base soon."

"Yeah… I'm still worried about Sonic." It was the first time Tails had mentioned Sonic all day, as he had been trying his best to be brave and not worry about it so much. His whole attitude seemed to have changed since they came up with their plan to find Sonic a few nights ago; he felt a lot more confident and a lot less scared. Mostly because he knew he had to be, though.

Espio climbed out of the black and green plane. He was on the island where Eggman's base was located. It had been a long flight over there, but he had made it. Now he just had to check out the area so he could tell Tails what he was in for. "Hm… I think I will go inside the base. Unlike Tails, I at least know I won't get hurt!" Espio said as he turned invisible. "After all, they can't hurt me if they can't find me. Maybe I can save Tails a little work and find Sonic for him. What have I got to lose? Well, besides two Chaos Emeralds… guess I better be careful."

Espio headed forward, still invisible. He held one Chaos Emerald in each hand. The scenery around him wasn't much… just jungle, jungle, and more jungle. Maybe Tails or even Sonic would take the time to treasure the view around them right now; it really was quite beautiful with all the colorful plants, different types of animals, and tall, green trees ascending so high you couldn't see the tops of them. But Espio just wasn't one to give much care about the little things in life. Being a detective and a ninja, he had more important things to worry about. His focus was always firmly set on the task before him. Perhaps this was why he was so trusted by Tails right now; everyone knew Espio wasn't one to get sidetracked unless it was an emergency. He supposed this _was _quite an emergency though; Sonic's life could be on the line for all they knew, and just judging by the fact that Eggman had been keeping quiet lately, he probably had a plan or two up his sleeve that he was ready to surprise them with.

Espio thought to himself as he walked. Why did Tails really want him to go to the base first when the fox knew where it was already? Why didn't he just come as soon as he knew where it was? Tails had told him it was because he wanted to find more Chaos Emeralds so Eggman didn't get them, plus he had mentioned it would be easier to get through the base if he had the Emeralds to give him power. But was there more to it than that? Espio couldn't help but wonder. Maybe Tails was just doing this because he was scared, and he wasn't sure he was ready to go in the base… "Maybe." Espio responded to his thoughts. "Fear of the unknown. After all, he may just be putting off going to the base because he's scared to see how it'll turn out… he doesn't want to see it end the wrong way." Espio could picture Tails' reaction to seeing Sonic laying dead, body bruised, battered, and surround in a pool of his own blood in a dark, empty room in the middle of the giant base. He shuddered, then shook his head at himself for thinking such horrible and disturbing thoughts. After all… the heroes were supposed to be the good guys who would never lose… right?

Feeling a sudden lightness in his left hand, Espio looked down at it. "What?" The Chaos Emerald was gone. He still had the one in his right hand though, and he clutched it tightly as if to keep it from any danger that was around him. Absentmindedly, he shaded back into view and looked around frantically. Just as he tilted his head upward, he saw something large descending straight towards him. Instinct and reflexes kicking in, he dove to his left to get out of the way, turning invisible again as he did so. Unfortunately, he landed right in the thorn bush that just happened to be there.

"Ugh…that could have gone better…" he groaned. He started to roll over on his back so that he could get in a position to sit up, but stopped as he felt more thorns pierce through his flesh. He groaned again. _Well, at least whatever the heck that was that just nearly crushed me can't see me. This would be much worse if I wasn't a chameleon._

Moving slowly, not only so that what he assumed had been one of Eggman's robots didn't hear him, but also because of the thorns, Espio put one hand on the ground and rolled himself over on his back, then pushed off the ground and stood up. Silently and carefully, he turned to face his new found opponent. It was about six feet tall, and a few inches over eight feet wide, moving on tracks. It looked old and rusty, but at the same time, strong and firm. A tubular cannon about six inches in diameter was attached to the front of it. Espio recognized it as some sort of missile launcher.

He lifted one foot to take a step forward. As it landed on the ground in front of him, he felt an existing thorn drive deeper into the bottom of his foot and he flinched. He hadn't even realized until now that the shoe that had once been on this foot had apparently fallen off when he dove for the bush. Groaning in frustration, he lifted his foot off the ground and yanked the thorn from his skin before retrieving his shoe and slipping his foot back inside. He then risked another step forward. The result was no better… this time, his other foot landed right in the middle of a fallen branch, naturally snapping it clean in half. He froze as he heard it break under his foot, expecting the worst to happen.

It did.

"Sound detected. Target sensed. Preparing to eliminate. Confirming strengths: somewhat fast… possesses bladed weapon… Confirming weaknesses: seems rather clumsy…" The robot spoke in a monotone voice.

Espio couldn't say he disagreed, after having just dove into a thorn bush and then accidentally stepping on a stick.

"…engaging battle mode. Firing missile set number one." Six missiles blasted out of the machine towards Espio. He jumped off to the side and they fired past, missing him completely. "Firing missile set number two." Ten missiles. Espio dodged them the same way he'd dodged the first six. No problem. "Regular missiles failing to eliminate intruder. Launch homing missile set number one."

"That's not good." Espio said to himself. He watched as three missiles fired out of the robot's front. They looked the same. But he knew they weren't. "Maybe I can outrun them." He turned tail and headed back in the direction he had come from, the missiles following him. He made a sharp turn and circled around a large tree in hopes that he could get the missiles to crash into it instead of him. That would surely stop them… right?

Nope. They crashed into the tree all right… but they didn't stop there. As Espio continued running, he looked over his shoulder and saw all three of them plow through the center of the trunk and shoot out the other side. The tree began to fall.

Right towards him.

Espio looked for something… anything… that could help him right now. That tree was huge. He had never figured the missiles would be strong enough to go all the way through the trunk. He caught sight of creek a little ways to the left. He'd land in the river if he jumped into that ditch, but it sure beat the heck out of getting crushed by a tree. And unlike Sonic, he could swim.

Seeing this as his only way out, Espio made an abrupt turn to the left and jumped down and into the creek, making a large splash as he landed in the water. He heard the tree hit the ground, and the sound of hundreds of branches snapping. Surely that had crushed the missiles… right?

Once again, nope. They were diving down towards the river, straight towards him. Espio began to panic; something he hardly ever did, and he swam frantically towards the other side of the river. The current was strong, but his adrenaline was stronger. In a matter of seconds, he was pulling himself out of the river. He didn't stop to see how close the missiles were… he just ran. He was as fast as they were; he knew he could keep on running for a long time without getting hit. But there had to be something that could defeat them quicker…

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Why hadn't he thought of this before? It was perfect… he just had to get the right aim. Espio took out his shuriken. If he could focus long enough to time his throw, he could use it to slice right through the homing missiles! But he had to keep moving so he didn't get hit. He glanced around at the area in front of him and memorized it; memorized where all the trees were so he could dodge them without seeing them. Then, hesitating one last time, he turned around as he ran so that he was running backwards, facing the missiles. "Okay, this isn't so hard." He could see all three of them, in a neat line with the middle one slightly in front as they came towards him. They were about forty feet away. Perfect. He slowed down slightly, luring them towards him. Thirty feet… twenty feet…. fifteen… "Now!" Espio jumped as he spoke the word. He jumped fast and high, then did a back flip in the air and thrust the shuriken downward just as the missiles curved to go upward. In a split second, it had sliced through the first missile and the second, and had plunged right into the third and slammed it down on the ground. Espio landed gracefully in front of the shuriken and destroyed missiles and pulled his weapon out of the one it had sliced into. He tossed it in the air once and caught it, then ran back towards the area where the robot was. It only took about a minute before he found it. It seemed to be waiting for him. He could see an arm like clamp on it now… and it was holding the Chaos Emerald. Tired and speechless, Espio thrust his shuriken at it, but before it ever hit, the robot had disappeared into thin air.

"You can't get away from me that easily!" Espio said. He faded invisible as well. Normally, he could see other invisible things if he was invisible as well, but he couldn't see anything. "What?" It was nowhere to be seen. "It didn't turn invisible… it teleported. I bet it's inside the base! I must find a way in. If I don't find Sonic while I'm in there, at least I'll find that robot and the Chaos Emerald."

He clutched the single Emerald he had in his hand even tighter and ran forward. He could see the base off in the distance, even through all the trees. It looked like a huge metal dome from here. He would have to find an entrance.

In case there were more robots, he faded out of visibility and continued running, hoping there were no enemies that could detect invisible objects. It made his run to the base much easier and much less nerve-racking.

He found himself at the base in no time. He stood in front of it, staring at the giant metal dome hopelessly. Was there a way in from here? None that he could see. At a total loss for what to do now, Espio knocked on the metal as if to feel how thick it was. He looked around him. Maybe there was a way he could get in from the other side. He sighed. This was going to take a while. Keeping the base within his sights, he began walking around. There had to be a way in somewhere……

One hour past. Two. Three. Four.

"…Or, maybe not." He thought aloud to himself. He was frustrated. He must have been all the way around the dome by now…. Unless…. Was the base really _that _big? He looked down at the ground. He could see no trace of his foot prints from earlier. He hadn't even gotten around the whole thing yet! What if he was only, like, a fourth of the way around? "Guess I'll find out eventually."

To his fortunate surprise, it was only another ten minutes or so before he saw a familiar sight. He could just barely see the creek from here. "Okay… I've been all the way around, and there's no entrance from here. I hope it's not on top. Tails'll have to look up there. I can climb, but I've had enough for a night." Irritated and exhausted, Espio dashed along the side of the creek and back towards the plane. It was time to call it a night. He wasn't going to try and get into any more trouble; he had already lost one Chaos Emerald. He wasn't about to lose the other to another robot. He knew there had to be more around here… and if he continued to try and find an entrance, something else bad was just going to happen. He would take a break for now and tell Tails the news in a bit.


	10. Chapter 9: Path of H20

**This chapter is pretty long and pretty interesting. I spent quite a bit of time on it, so I hope you like it.**

Chapter 9: Path of H20

"Tails? Tails!" Vector's voice called from the radio.

"Oh!" Tails said as he dropped the tools he had been using to finish fixing the engine damage the Tornado had gotten recently and raced over to the counter. "Yeah, I'm here!"

"Wondering if you were gonna pick up! Where are ya?" Vector asked.

"In my workshop! I'm repairing the Tornado! With only one Chaos Emerald, there's no way I'll be able to get across the ocean when it has this amount of engine damage. I didn't think it was this bad at first, but—"

"Okay, I get it. Just want to update you before you come on your way… Espio just told me there are some pretty strong robots around the base. He just came across one… and… uh… well, maybe he should tell you the rest…"

"What? What happened?" Tails demanded.

"Let me finish first." Vector said. "He also couldn't find a way inside the base from anywhere around it. And one more thing, you sure you don't want him and us to help you find Sonic? I don't see what your deal is with accepting a little help inside the base—"

"I already told you, your guys' job was to tell me the best way to get to the base and tell me if I may need anything else to help me while _I _repaired the Tornado, since I couldn't have come out to the base with it in this shape anyway. Plus, I don't want anyone to get hurt besides me, if anybody. That's 'cause it's _my _fault Sonic got taken in the first—"

"Tails, snap out of it! There wasn't anything you could do and you know it! Sonic's in Eggman's base, nothing's gonna change that! So stop complaining about how everything's your fault, stop wasting time, and just _save _him already!" Vector nearly shouted.

Tails was silent for a few seconds. He dropped his head slowly and let it hang there.

"Agh… I'm sorry, Tails," Vector said, sounding frustrated with himself. Sometimes he forgot Tails was only six.

Tails nodded, momentarily forgetting that Vector wasn't around to see it before saying, "'t's okay," in a slightly tight voice.

"I didn't mean to lose my temper like that."

"Yeah." The fox said silently. "Now… what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

"Uh… well… why don't you radio Espio on that?" Vector hung up as soon as he was done speaking.

"Okay," Tails said hesitantly. He pressed a different button on the handheld radio. "Espio? You there?"

After a few seconds, a response came. "That you, Tails?"

"Vector said you wanted to tell me something."

"Well, I had a slight problem. Did he tell you about the robots?"

"He said _you _said there were a lot of big ones around the base." Tails replied.

"That's about right… and one of them, well, how do I put this…" Espio paused for thought, then decided the best way to tell Tails the news was to just say it straight and simple. "One Chaos Emerald is gone."

Author's note: What happens next is probably something you saw coming.

"What do you mean, one's gone!!?" Tails shrieked.

"The robot disappeared with it… quite literally."

"God, I asked you to do ONE SIMPLE THING! Give me some data on the base without losing the Chaos Emeralds, and you didn't even find anything out!" Tails continued.

"I did find out that it's surrounded by robots and it's very, _very _big." Espio corrected him.

Tails took a moment to sigh deeply. "No freaking duh! I can't _believe _this!"

"Also, I don't know this for sure, but I should warn you that the inside of this place is probably pretty high-security. You're going to have look at what's around you before you move."

"What makes you thing it's so protected?" Tails said, voice impatient but somewhat calmer than before.

"I'm a ninja. When I see I giant dome with a thick steel exterior, something just tells me it isn't going to be an easy feat on the inside. Trust me."

"Trust _you?_ I trusted you not to lose the darn—"

"Can we just drop that? This shouldn't be your main focus right now." Espio pointed out.

"Fine. For now. But you'll hear about it again!"

_Okay, mom, _Espio thought but didn't say. "At least I found out a few things."

"Yeah… I guess I never even thought about what the inside of the base would be like. But I think I have something that'll help me out. It's a type of motion detector. It'll work well for finding out when robots or security cameras are around—if there are any, anyway. I'm going to start making my way over there pretty soon. Talk to you later." Tails turned off the radio and tossed it roughly back on the counter. Just then he heard a knock on his door. "_What?_" He snapped.

"Uh, can I come in?" Amy's voice said, sounding somewhat nervous from Tails' quick reaction.

"Yeah, whaddaya want?"

Amy walked in. She wondered what was with Tails' temper, but she wasn't about to ask.

Tails seemed to read her mind. "Long story. I'll tell you later. I'm gonna get going to the base. It's now or never."

"I'm coming too, you know!" Amy reminded him.

_No, you're not. But I'm not in the mood to argue about it right now so I'll figure something out later. _"Okay, les' go. Get in the plane and I'll be right there."

Tails grabbed the Seeking Camera off his counter full of tools and contraptions and tossed it into the Tornado. It was, like he'd told Espio before, a motion detector. By detecting the movement of molecules (which are always moving) in an item or anything for that matter, a screen on the Seeking Camera could show him exactly what was being detected. All he had to do was press down the single button on top, then a purple shaded laser would start coming out of it. When he let go of the button, the laser would stop. Any object it went through would show up on the small screen in blue-print style format. Just like a regular camera, he could save certain images and scroll to previous ones, so he could view one after another after another. Also, the laser could go through any object it hits. The view doesn't show up on screen until Tails stops the laser by letting go of the button. The range of the Camera was about two hundred feet. So, to put it simply, Tails could view a rough sketch of just about anything within a two hundred foot radius of him, no matter how big or small, no matter if it was on the other side of something or being hidden or blocked from view. Using the Camera, he could find it. This was _definitely _going to help. A lot.

"You coming or what?" Amy said.

"Uh yeah. Just let me make sure the engine's looking good… yeah, I think it's repaired enough to get us over there and back." Tails got in the plane in front of Amy and rolled it out of the garage, then they were soaring through the air. "So," Tails said, breaking the silence after a few seconds. "Did Espio or Vector talk to you before you came over to the workshop?"

"Yeah, that's why I came. They said you'd probably get going once they talked to you."

"Well, if you're wondering why I'm not in a good mood, it's 'cause Espio lost one of our Chaos Emeralds to a robot." Tails told her simply.

"What? They never told me that!" Amy said angrily.

"Go figure… but we're gonna get it back! _After _we find Sonic!"

Another few seconds of silence. "So, uh, we're going out over the ocean to get to the island, right?" Amy said, trying to breaking the tension.

"Uh-huh" Tails said, wondering how you were supposed to get to an island without going over the ocean. "Look down. We're flying over it right now."

"I think I can see Angel Island from here." Amy said, looking down. They were quite a ways above it. "Hey Tails, does the plane seem to be angling downwards a bit?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry… not paying attention to my piloting I guess." Tails straightened out their path and they kept going. Now that Amy had mentioned it, it was curving downward every once in a while. Tails began to notice how much he was having to angle it back up to keep it on a straight path. It was getting harder and harder to control as they moved forward.

"Tails, is something going on with the plane? Are you sure the engine's fixed?"

"I thought it was…"

Amy's eyes widened in shock. "Thought?"

The plane took a sudden dive in the direction of the island. "Ah!" They both jumped as they screamed.

"Tails, change the direction so we don't crash into the island!" Amy shouted.

"Okay… I, I can't!" Tails shouted back fearfully.

"This has happened before! Does this mean there's another Chaos Emerald under the water somewhere?"

"No!" Tails said as realization struck. "It's the Master Emerald! It must be! Since we have a Chaos Emerald, it's attracting us right to the island like a magnet, just like a Chaos Emerald would!"

"But… the Master Emerald's shattered still… even we have a piece of it…" Amy said.

"You're right! Maybe there is another Chaos Emerald!" Tails said.

"That's grand and all, but we have a bigger issue, you know," Amy reminded him.

"Good thing the plane's not falling so fast this time. I think it's 'cause we're still far away from it." Tails took out the Seeking Camera and got it ready to go. "But when we get closer…"

"What's that thing?" Amy wanted to know.

"Nothing." Tails said. It would take forever to explain. He figured it was a good time to test out his Camera, plus he could make sure that this really was a Chaos Emerald and not some trap or something. _Yeah, 'cause last time we were near Angel Island, this didn't happen… did it? _Oh, wait a minute. Last time they were at Angel Island, they didn't have a Chaos Emerald like they did now, either.

The plane shook briefly and then sped up. Sweat dripped from Tails' forehead, but he stayed calm and focused on getting the Camera ready. What he was going to do to keep the plane from going under water, he didn't know yet, but he was working on it in his mind.

"I think we're within two hundred feet…" Tails said to himself. He held down the button and a light purple laser started making its way slowly out of the camera. "Darn… I forgot it went so _slow_! Got to make it _faster_! Then he remembered something: he could make the laser travel faster. _Yeah, I programmed the laser to travel faster when I double-pressed the button and held it down instead of only pressing and holding once. Forgot about that._

With little time left to spare, Tails released the button, then slammed his finger back on it again. The laser shot forward like a rocket. He tilted the camera so that the laser went under water. Then he stared at the screen on the camera. It read: OBJECT DETECTED. LIQUID. CLASSIFIED AS H20. CONTAINS SALT. DETECTING FURTHER OBJECTS. ONE FOUND. SMALL. EXTREMELY HIGH ENERGY PARTICLES ASSOCIATED WITH OBJECT.

That was when Tails released the button. Perfect timing. Under the ocean, the laser stopped traveling right near the object in question, which Tails was assuming to be a Chaos Emerald. _Extremely high energy particles… _That had to be a Chaos Emerald, all right. He quickly looked at the picture on the screen. "Huh? That's funny." He recognized the rotating, sketch-like picture on the small screen of the Seeking Camera. That's not a Chaos Emerald. It's a r—"

"Tails! We're getting closer to the water!" Amy said, cutting him off.

_You know, I could change to submarine mode and get that Emerald, but I can't waste time right now and I don't wanna risk getting the engine damaged again. I'll just remember it's here and try to keep going for now. I got an idea. _"Amy, get up here and take over! If I get the Chaos Emerald out of the plane, we'll be able to get it under control again! That's what's pulling the plane down there. We know that much."

"You're gonna drop it?"

"No way!" Tails said. "Take _over_! No time for questions right now! And gimme that Master Emerald shard. We still have it, right?"

"Yeah, catch!" Amy said, tossing him the shard. Since it was only part of the Master Emerald and not the whole thing, it didn't have enough power to attract Chaos Emeralds at as great of a distance as the one under water was. But it _did _have enough power to help Tails.

Hopefully.

The fox took a deep breath, held the Master Emerald shard tight, opened the cockpit, and jumped, Chaos Emerald in one hand, shard in the other. Now, since he had the Chaos Emerald that was being attracted to the one under water, _he _was the one going down, not the plane. Even the power of his spinning tails couldn't stop him from going down. But it could stop him from going under water within the next five seconds. So he spun with everything he had. He could feel himself slowing down, but he knew he wouldn't stop. Now _here's _where the shard came in handy.

"I hope this works…" Tails closed his eyes and gripped the shard and Chaos Emerald even tighter. He let himself forget he was falling and focused on absorbing energy from the Emeralds. "C'mon, work, work!" He begged out loud. "I'm gonna drown… oh, wait… I'm not falling anymore." Tails opened his eyes. He was still spinning his namesakes frantically. But he was hovering upwards now. "Yeah! It worked!" Tails had used the energy of the Emeralds to resist the force of attraction between the one he had and the one under water. Now he was as strong as the Emeralds since he had their powers, and he could easily fly away without being pulled down. "I wonder…" Tails risked slowly letting his spinning tails come to a stop. He found himself floating in midair. "Sweet! This feels great! I haven't felt anything like this since… since I used the Super Emeralds to help Sonic and Knux defeat the Death Egg two years ago!" Tails said to himself. He glided forward. The Tornado came up next to him, able to move freely now that there was no Chaos Emerald in it. Inside it, Amy smiled and gave Tails a thumbs-up. Amy was pretty good at piloting the Tornado for someone who almost never piloted any plane.

With ease, Tails leapt upward in the air and landed on the right wing of the plane, riding on it just like Sonic always did when he'd been free. It was fun. After a few minutes, Tails closed his eyes and let his powers drain back into the Master Emerald shard and Chaos Emerald, even though he knew they'd wear off eventually. He couldn't get too distracted. Then he opened the cockpit of the plane and tossed the Emeralds in.

"Hey Amy, you wanna keep piloting?" Tails asked, finding his position thoroughly enjoyable. He could feel the wind blowing his bangs flat against his forehead and into his eyes. He could feel his tails blowing straight back. It felt good.

"Sure! It's actually pretty easy!" Amy replied. She dipped downward and then continued piloting straight so that the plane was gliding smoothly over the water.

Tails didn't say anything, but spread his arms out widely and faced the wind. It wasn't until he did this that he noticed what else wasn't too far ahead of him.

"The _base_!" Tails exclaimed. "We're almost there, Amy!" Tails found himself smiling. He wasn't scared any more, he was _excited. _He knew he was definitely getting closer to Sonic now. Boy, Sonic was probably inside somewhere, trying to find a way to escape, and then Tails would come in to rescue him and they'd leave through wherever Tails ended up coming in, perfectly unharmed! Tails had the vision of the whole situation going through his head. It almost gave him chill bumps. He sighed with pleasure and closed his eyes peacefully.

Like all good things, though, his moment didn't last too long.

"Tails!" Came Amy's voice. The fox only heard it faintly over the rush of the wind, but it was enough for him to open his eyes and look over at her. She pointed up ahead, where several fountains of water were bursting twenty, thirty, _forty_ feet into the air.

"What _is _that?" Tails asked himself quietly. Talk about random… everything is calm and then a rush of ocean water blasts upward not too far ahead of them like a giant geyser?

Tails was about to tell Amy to fly upward a bit just in case of trouble when a hard splash impacted the bottom of the plane so hard it did a complete 360 degree flip, sending Tails falling and spinning out of control as he descended towards the water. He stopped himself with his tails at the last second and began to fly upward frantically, watching the plane continue to spiral out of control. Luckily, Amy seemed to be keeping it from going too far downward. He wished he could tell her how to work the emergency controls… she may be okay at piloting, but that may not be good enough right now.

Just then, another blast of water erupted out of nowhere, the center of it hitting him squarely on the chest, the rest of it soaking him all over, knocking the wind out of him. He felt himself skyrocket upwards before the world blurred around him and the force of the impact added to the loss of oxygen caused him to nearly pass out. He struggled to open his eyes, to stay awake, but found that his body didn't want to let him. He tried twirling his tails to fly—if he didn't, he would start descending and eventually drown—but his body was already shutting down on him. His last conscious feeling was of himself slamming against something hard. He recognized the cold, metallic feeling of the Tornado and finally let himself drift into unconsciousness, knowing Amy had just made a lucky catch.

He woke up some fifteen minutes later, but didn't open his eyes. _Am I dead? _He thought to himself. _No, I can't be dead! What about Sonic? And what if Amy's dead, too? _Then he remembered feeling himself land on the wing of the Tornado. No, he didn't drown. He was okay. Knowing this, he opened his eyes, only to see Amy about a centimeter away from his face. "Ohmygosh!" He shouted while reflexively backing away. Amy jumped backwards, too. Apparently she hadn't expected him to open his eyes any more than he'd expected to see her hovering over him.

"Whoa, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" Amy said immediately.

"Uh…" he breathed in relief. "Okay… but what were you doing?"

"Well, I uh, Cream's mom told me how to do CPR if someone ever stopped breathing…" Amy replied, her cheeks turning just about as pink as her fur.

"What!? How do you know I wasn't breathing?"

"Well I figured since you'd probably swallowed a lot of water that maybe you passed out because you were choking or something."

"You shoulda checked my pulse first!" Tails said, before realizing that would have only told her if Tails' heart was beating, not if he was breathing or not. "Never mind… was I breathing?"

"I think you were a little bit, because your chest was moving up and down, but it was happening really slow. Not to mention, you started coughing really violently a few minutes ago. You were laying down, so I think you choked on everything you coughed up again. Once you stopped, that's when I decided you were in danger and wanted to get you breathing again…" She trailed off. She felt embarrassed, but what else should she have done? Tails could have died! It wasn't like she liked him or anything, but that's how Tails seemed to be looking at it!

"Yeah, sorry… I guess I was just surprised to see you there."

"You okay now?" Amy asked, looking concerned.

"I think so," Tails took a moment to look around at his surroundings. Everything that was a distance away from him was still a bit blurry, but was slowly coming into clear view. Right now, the environment just looked very green. "We're on the island?" He guessed.

"Yeah. I managed to keep the plane from going underwater, especially since I had no idea how to put it in Submarine mode, but I didn't land too smoothly on the island, either… I've never landed an aircraft before."

A low groan emitted from Tails' throat. "How bad is it?" He asked, already unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Well, I think your scanners said 'no internal damage'," She paused as Tails sighed with relief, "but the end of the right wing hit a tree and bent…"

His vision almost back to normal by now, Tails looked over at the Tornado to see how bad the damage was. It didn't look too horrid. "I think a little bit of welding can fix that. It'll be able to fly after that as long as there's no engine damage." Tails slowly sat up, put his hands behind him, and pushed himself off the ground. After getting his balance, he slowly walked over to the bi-plane and examined it. "Yeah, I don't think the engine's messed up. I'll just have to fix the wing."

"How long will that take?" Amy asked.

"Not sure. Probably no more than a half hour." Without another word, Tails began repairing.

It was only about twenty minutes before it looked good as new. "Is it fixed yet?"

"Yeah, Amy, I think we're good to go. But Espio told me he couldn't find an entrance anywhere on the island. You think maybe it's on top or something?"

"Don't know. Why don't we fly the Tornado up there and see what we can find?"

"I was sort of thinking that. Let's hurry up, though. I _really _wanna get in that base!"

Amy nodded. They both got in the Tornado.

"Let's hope this works," Tails said. He rolled the plane forward and put it into flight mode again. It took off as smoothly as normal. Once they were at the level of the top of the base (which was about two hundred feet high), Tails did a 180 degree half-circle and zoomed around the top of it. "I can't see anything from here," he said.

"Should we try and land on top?" Amy asked. "I think I see, like, a window or something on the very top. Should we try and get in from there?"

Tails was about to say sure, why not, when something hit him. "No. Too easy. That's probably only a way out. Either that, or it's a trap. Eggman knows very well that we could easily get in from the top since we have the Tornado. If it is an entrance, Eggman's probably smart enough to lock it. Actually, I think I _see _a lock of some sort. Looks steel."

"You're right. But if that's not the entrance, what is?"

"I don't know. Unless… you think there might be an underground entrance?"

"You're asking me?" Amy said rhetorically. "I don't know any more about this than you do."

In the pilot's seat, Tails shrugged. "I guess it's worth a try."

"So are we just going to start digging up the island until we find something?"

"What else can we do?"

"But that could take days! We don't have that kind of time."

"Good point. But like I said, what else can we do?"

"There has to be an easier-to-find entrance than that. I mean, Eggman's got to get in and out of that base, too, you know." Amy pointed out.

"Hmmm…"

"Got something in mind?" Amy asked.

Tails didn't answer, but dipped suddenly downward.

"Oh, great! What is it now, engine problems or another Chaos Emerald?" Amy asked irritably.

"Neither. I'm doing it this time. Submarine mode, now!" He cried out while pressing a button. The plane quickly transformed and a huge splash ascended from the water as the Tornado went under the surface.

"Why'd you do _that_?" Amy asked just as irritably as before.

"'Cause, you brought up a good point. It's got to be an entrance Eggman can find easily and we can't, and most of all, an entrance that he thinks Sonic can't escape from. Even he knows Sonic wouldn't risk escaping if it meant he had to go through water—"

"You're right! That's perfect!"

"Yeah. I just thought to myself, if I was Eggman, where would I put an entrance so Sonic couldn't get out, but still have it convenient for me? I betcha Eggman's hovercraft has something to cover him up so he won't drown if he comes under water. And I bet he has no idea we were smart enough to figure that out."

"So you're saying the entrance is most likely under water somewhere? But how?"

"Not sure, but knowing Eggman, I'm sure he's got his ways."

They traveled in silence for a few minutes before Tails muttered, "Jackpot!" under his breath. A short distance ahead of the Tornado, they could see a pipe-like tunnel about five feet in diameter sticking out from the side of the island. "It must lead to the inside of the base."

"So it probably goes right through the island's soil and curves upward into the base, right?"

"Best guess I can think of. Look, it's circular, a little over five feet across. Perfect for Eggman to fit his little hovercraft slash Egg-Walker inside of. I think we found it, Amy."

"Yeah, you found it little fox, but you don't know that I'm watching your every move… You had better be prepared, Tails, because I know exactly what you're up to!" Eggman said loudly (more to himself than Tails, since Tails couldn't hear him) from his spare control room (he had two just in case). He watched the farthest screen on the left—the one that showed the security camera by the underwater entrance—and laughed evilly as Tails and Amy continued talking inside the Tornado. They looked hesitant, but he knew that they'd come in eventually and look for Sonic. "Congratulations for making it this far, but once you get in, you'll never make it back out alive!"

**Okay, they're **finally **at the base. About time, eh? Things start to get cooler now. Anyway, if you've read, please review!**


	11. Chapter 10: The Black Tunnel

**Funny, I just realized that this chapter is called The Black Tunnel and the next one is going to be called The Windy Tunnel. Oh well. Maybe I'll change it.**

Chapter 10: The Black Tunnel

"Are we going in?" Amy asked Tails quietly.

Tails nodded. Inside though, he was scared. It was _dark _in there, and there wasn't nearly enough room to get the Tornado up there. He'd have to hold his breath and swim, and hope that there was oxygen at the other end of it. And, what if the top of it was closed off, blocking his way into the base? If he couldn't get through, he probably drown! "Yes." He replied after a moment. "_I _am."

"Huh? What do you mean, _you _are?"

"I… I don't want you to come with me, Amy." Tails knew that Amy seemed a lot more talented than he'd taken her for (probably because she usually ended up being Eggman's prisoner). He knew that she had just saved his life about an hour ago. But he also knew she was rather clumsy when it came to hand-to-hand combat, and there would be a lot of that in the base with all those robots around; not to mention, she didn't have her hammer with her for help. Plus, as he'd told Vector earlier, he didn't want anyone to get hurt. Least of all Amy, after all the help she'd given him over the past few weeks.

"You think I'm going to get in your way, don't you?" Amy said. She didn't sound angry. She sounded hurt.

Only a small part of Tails was thinking that, and he didn't know how to tell her that _he _should be the only one inside the base, that no one else deserved to have to take the chance of getting trapped in there or getting hurt like Sonic besides him. The fox still couldn't get it out of his head that this was partly his fault, that Sonic wouldn't be trapped in that base if it weren't for him. "I…" Tails started. "It's just, this is something that I have to do alone. No one understands." Tails said. He turned and looked right into her eyes. He knew he looked upset, and didn't really want to show that to Amy, but he wanted to let her know that he wasn't lying.

"But Tails, I care about Sonic too! And I don't want you to get hurt in there! You can't just tell me to turn around now!" She protested.

"Amy, please…"

"I'll be worried about you two too much." She said, burying her head in her hands. She hadn't started crying yet, but she was darn close to it.

Something, maybe guilt, pulled at Tails' heartstrings and he could almost bring himself to let her come. But he knew it wasn't a good idea. The base was _huge, _and if Espio hadn't even gone in it and had already lost one Chaos Emerald, well, this was going to be quite a challenge. He knew he was risking his own life. But he didn't want to risk anyone else's. Plus, it would make it harder for him to get through the base if he had to worry about whoever else was accompanying him, namely Amy, getting in danger or getting in the way. He couldn't let her come. And what if the worse _had_ happened to Sonic? He didn't want Amy to find out like that… no way. Not right in the middle of the base. The same image that he had had before of Sonic lying lifelessly in a dark room, bruised and battered, came upon him again. He didn't want to _ever _see that image for real, let alone have Amy see it. No… he _couldn't _let her come.

"T—Tails?" She stuttered, waiting for him to say something.

This wasn't working out. He was going to let her know straight and simple that she wasn't coming in the base with him. "Amy, you're not coming. I'm sorry. I don't want you to get hurt, I don't want to have to worry about you getting in trouble, and if Sonic is… well… you know… then I don't want you to find out unprepared like I might. I'm only gonna say this once. Take the Tornado back to the workshop an' go home." Tails spoke sternly. He closed his eyes and let out a breath, dreading the response.

"Okay. I guess I understand. Plus… I guess if Sonic is hungry and tired when you free him, he'll need somebody to go to, right?" Amy said.

"Yeah!" Tails said, quickly attacking the opportunity.

"Okay… well, you have to get out before I can go anywhere then."

"Yeah… I'm getting there."

"Good luck, Tails. And be careful. Got it?" Amy told him.

"You bet. Don't worry about me too much, okay?"

"I'll try my best!" Amy responded. "I know you can save Sonic!" She put a fist up in the air determinedly.

"Thanks for helpin' me out, Amy," Tails said, preparing to open the cockpit.

"Anytime!" She said automatically.

"Look out, 'cause when I open this some water will rush in. I'll get out and close it before it gets real high though, don't worry. It usually only floods it about six inches or so."

"Okay. But how do I change this thing back into… uh, plane mode once I get out of the water?"

"Oh, the biggest red button. It's on the right side. Hit that and push the lever forward." He gestured to the said lever.

"Okay, got it."

"Well, I'm outta here!" The young fox said, smiling. Although he was a bit nervous, Tails felt ready. He jokingly gave her a salute and unlocked the cockpit. Quickly, he got out and slammed it shut again so too much water didn't rush in. He was holding his breath, and he had to continue doing that until he got to the top of the tunnel, he knew. So he quickly gave her a thumbs-up and twirled his namesakes, propelling himself upward in the water until he was completely inside the tunnel and out of view. _I hope I'm not too late. _

Tails looked down over his shoulder. Amy was getting ready to speed off through the water. There was no time to waste though; he had to make it to the top of this thing before he couldn't hold his breath any longer. He continued swimming. The tunnel was gradually getting darker and darker. A few seconds later, he couldn't see a thing. He wouldn't have been able to see his own hand in front of him. _Oh, god, what if I can't find the top? _Tails thought to himself. He was scared. _No, don't think that way. Remember, you have to be almost there by now! Man, let there be light at the end of this thing! _ He spun his namesakes faster. It was sort of fun, having that feeling of just being propelled upwards through the water just like a jet boat was propelled forward. Using his tails, he was pretty fast. But this tunnel was also pretty long. He had inhaled a lot of air in his lungs. He was feeling pretty good. Hopefully this would only last a few more seconds, though…

His smooth swimming was interrupted by the feeling of something hitting his head rather hard. Tails almost gasped from fear, but quickly put a hand over his mouth to stop himself. _A wall. Only a wall. _He thought. He felt around, wasting a whole five seconds before he managed to find where the path continued. As soon as he turned himself in the right direction, which was slightly diagonal compared to the direction he'd been going a few seconds ago, he saw a bright… well, dot, some ways up ahead of him. Relief sparking inside him, along with fear of not being able to hold his breath any longer, Tails swam like there was no tomorrow until he was almost there. _I hope that's an opening and not just some random speck of light. _Tails felt himself getting dizzy. He was tired and he was on the verge of letting his breath go. _Almost there… I see the light… _Tails was so close he could almost touch it, but the water was blurring his vision and he couldn't tell where it was coming from yet. He hoped it was the base. He reached a shaky hand out in front of him. To his surprise, it went above the water. He felt it hit the corner of something and he quickly grabbed on, then pulled with all the strength he had left, managing to get his head above the water. He exhaled loudly, then gasped for breath, practically inhaling the air around him. It wasn't until his mind registered his surroundings that he noticed that what he was gripping onto was in fact the other end of the tunnel, and it was like the edge of a sewage drain in shape. He pulled himself all the way out so that his entire body was in the base. He was here. "But where exactly in the base is 'here'?" Tails wondered aloud. He looked up. The ceiling was covered in silvery looking pipes. He saw that the whole area was rather dark. "It looks like a giant basement." Tails continued looking around, trying to memorize everything he saw. "I really giant basement." It was then that he realized he could see either end of it. "It must go on for _miles_!" Tails exclaimed, amazed. "Well, if this is the basement, there's got to be more. I mean, I know the dome looked taller than this from the outside. The ceiling here isn't all that tall. I need to find out where I gotta go." Tails took a few, slightly cautious steps forward. No alarms went off or anything. After walking a little ways, he caught sight of a giant, ring-shaped counter, covered all over with switches, buttons, levers, and other control devices. "This must be where Eggman works on all his robots and stuff. And hangs out. I betcha this is the control room, or one of them anyway. Considering how big the place is, there's probably another one or two throughout the base somewhere." His voice echoed eerily throughout the area. "Hmm…" There was something he hadn't spotted before. A circle about five feet wide in the middle of the control panel ring. He stood in the center of it. "I wonder…"

He searched all the controls, eyeing every single one. He had no way of knowing which one it would be… but he could tell what this circle was for. It was a teleport of some sort… probably to make it easier to get around the base. Then he saw them. Eight buttons, all a yellowish orange color. The bottom four were labeled: Section L1, L2, L3, and L4. The top four were U1, U2, U3, and U4. "L means lower, U means upper. Okay, that's easy enough. I wonder if this is the only teleport? Nah, but they're probably only in the control rooms. Guess it's the only one for now." Tails shrugged, still wondering about everything, but reached forward and pressed the U1 button. He was tense and ready to run in case that button didn't to what he expected it to do. Luckily, though, it seemed as though he was about to be teleported. A faint noise that he couldn't describe hummed softly around him, and an orange glow ascended from the circle around him, rippling upwards like waves. The next moment, he had disappeared into thin air.

And he reappeared…. what do you know, in Section U1! "Well, it's about time something happened that wasn't a trick!" Tails remarked. He was standing on a square tile marked U1. The whole area looked rather… shiny. Shiny and hi-tech. That was a good way to put it. There were many robots that didn't appear to be activated at the time, but he knew they would be if Eggman found out he was in here. He made a mental note to stay well-hidden. He could also tell that there were various types of traps scattered throughout the area – he'd use the Camera to get a closer look at them later – and he couldn't help but wonder if Sonic had come across these. The floor was a light gray, almost white, with the occasional storage box lying around. He moved to take a step, then froze, common sense kicking in. He carefully turned on the Seeking Camera and let its laser travel forward slowly. He paid attention to the readings on the screen: Detecting invisible particles nearby. High amounts of heat energy.

That was all Tails needed. He let go of the button and the Camera analyzed the data around it. A small, tubular, red line appeared on the screen. "Yep, that's a laser all right." Then, more of them appeared on the screen. Suddenly, the Camera began downloading data from all around the area, and pretty soon there was a clear picture of a section of the room. Tails rotated the camera and the picture changed. Good, it had gathered data within the whole length of the camera's 200-foot detecting radius. The only thing different about the data on the camera and what he saw was… the camera's data showed lasers all over the place. Even up high. Flying wouldn't do any good here. "I'm going to be in U1 for a while." Tails said. He sighed. This was going to be a long day.

**Please read and review! The next one should be up by the weekend, since I'm almost done with it! Sorry about not updating much lately, too. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 11: What Goes Up, Must Come Down

**Terribly sorry for the lack of update… I've been so busy with high school stuff lately it's not even funny. Plus, the new Sonic game for 360 came out, so I was pretty busy playing that as well…. but I'm hoping to get things back on track soon. I know I haven't been reading many of your stories either, as I said I would, but I will get to them! If you take the time to review my story, it's only fair I do the same! Especially since you've been having to wait so long for my updates lately…**

Chapter 11: What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Tails didn't know quite where to start. Here he was, trapped in Section U1 of the base, completely surrounded by lasers, and there were most likely robots of some sort up ahead… although his Camera hadn't shown any. In that case, maybe he'd get lucky. "Now that I think about it, robots will probably only show up if I hit a laser. I don't really want to find out, though."

Tails carefully stepped over the first laser, ducked under another two, and stood up straight again. "Maybe there's a switch or something. I mean, something has to deactivate them. But then again, that might be somewhere that's not even in this room. Then it's not much use."

Tails looked further ahead to see where the end of the room was. The lasers went on for a significant distance. It would be at least a few hours before he got out of this room. "I wonder if there's anything that lasers don't detect…" If there was, it wasn't here, unfortunately. Tails didn't know what to do. There was nothing in this room except… _lasers. _

As far as he could tell, there wasn't an exit to another room, either.

Tails' mind went into a panic mode when he registered this. How would he be able to save Sonic, then? Oh yeah… he could go back the way he came and find another way from there… duh. Tails immediately turned around. "Waah!" There were more lasers! There had only been three a second ago, hadn't there? Now there was a row of them going from the ceiling to the floor! He couldn't get back! He turned to face forward again. Everything else was still the same. Certain lasers must be programmed to change every once in a while, Tails thought.

_Well, I'd better find a way out of here before this gets worse! _

He looked around frantically again, and this time something caught his eye. There was a switch! Not to far ahead, either. He must have overlooked it earlier.

"Oh!" Tails took another few cautious steps forward, dodging in and out of lasers. He could just barely feel one touch the fur on his left ear. Tails raised his hand up to clutch his ear, immediately expecting it to burn, but stopped himself when he realized making such a quick motion probably wasn't such a good idea in such a tight situation. He slowly ducked his head down a bit.

_I'm lucky an alarm didn't go off or something! It just barely touched me… I can't let that happen again, or I might not be as lucky! _Tails wanted so badly to fly straight through all the lasers, even if they detected him, and get out as quickly as possible. He wasn't in a patient mood right now. Not when he knew he was so close to Sonic and yet so far from reaching him. Besides, if he even started to fly, his tails would surely hit a few lasers. They took up too much room when they were spinning.

A few minutes later, he was almost at the switch. "Just a few more lasers to get through…"

The floor tile (which was about two square feet total) that had the switch on it was a few inches lower into the floor than the rest of the squares. Tails noticed it, but didn't think much of it, so he just reached down with his hand and pressed the switch. Immediately, the tile began to slide underneath one of the surrounding tiles, revealing a fan. Tails jumped back off the tile reflexively as it moved, accidentally falling straight through a laser.

"Oh no!" The alarm went off, the room pulsed from it's regular color to red back and forth, and a few seconds later, the fan started up, blowing very fast air. It was so fast that it picked Tails up off the ground, even though he was now several feet away from the fan.

"Whoa! Ahhh!!" Tails ascended upwards so fast that he couldn't control it, going through several lasers along the way. "I'm gonna hit the ceiling!!" Just as he spoke, a 'door' on the ceiling about five square feet opened up. Had he not been sky-rocketing through the air, Tails would have breathed a sigh of relief. He went through the opening on the ceiling.

"Geez, that fan is strong! It's still blowing me upwards and it ain't slowing down, either!" The area inside the ceiling was dark and tunnel-like. He could just barely see.

"Wonder how high this thing goes…" Tails thought aloud. His panic was going away. At least there was nothing extremely dangerous up here. But why was the fan still blowing him? Was it meant to blast him right out of the top of the base or something?

The unfortunate answer to this question turned out to be yes, and in little shreds.

A few seconds later, he noticed light at the top of the vertical tunnel. And another fan. Then he understood what was going on. "Wait…. that fan on the ground blew up here so that this one could suck me in!" Tails shrieked, horror-struck. "Oh my god! I don't wanna die like this!!" Tails turned his backside towards the fan and spun his namesakes frantically.

No good.

He barely slowed down at all, but he managed to maneuver himself towards the wall. He struggled to grab on to something, anything, but there was nothing to grab onto. The fan seemed to be rushing down to meet him, and fast.

"Uh… I… need help!" Tails closed his eyes. This was it. In a few seconds, it would be all over. "Can't give up hope yet!" He told himself. He didn't know what else to do, though. So he thrust his hands at the wall as hard as he could.

…There had been many things that had surprised him on his adventure so far, but nothing like what happened next.

He felt his hands pierce into the wall. The strong, metal wall. And he stopped, eyes closed, holding on for dear life. The fan was a mere twenty five feet away, and still sucking him in. But he was alive.

He gasped for breath, and immediately struggled to pull himself further downward. It felt like gravity was pulling him up instead of down. It sort of was in a sense. Tails found when he tried to go further away from the fan that he was able to dig his fingers into the wall easily, now. He climbed down for a few minutes, and finally took a few seconds to catch his breath. It was then that he remembered he had his Chaos Emerald and Master Emerald shard tucked in the thick fur of one of his tails. He reached in with one hand and grabbed them. They were both glowing.

"Oh...!" So _that _was why he was able to dig his fingers into the metal. He had drawn on the power of the Emeralds without even realizing it. "I hope I can trust these things by now…" Tails said. He took a deep breath and let go of the wall.

To his utter astonishment, he floated.

He put one Emerald in each hand and looked back and forth at them, smiling. "What would I do without these?" Tails tucked the Emeralds back into his namesakes, still continuing to draw on their power. He backed up, then hurled himself forward at the wall. He crashed through it surprisingly easily and came out on the other side.

"Hm. Wall's only about six inches thick." He was above another vertical tunnel, but there was no fan in this one, fortunately for him.

"I'm guessing there's a tunnel above every room," Tails said. "If that's the case, I must be in the next one by now." It certainly would have made sense if there were tunnels ascending from every room; Eggman probably used them to get out of the base quickly from any room when the fans weren't activated. He was pretty lazy, after all. It would also explain why the base went so high up. This tunnel didn't look dissimilar to the first, except there were a few lasers crossing it here and there. It was also much bigger; about 10 yards across instead of 10 feet.

Tails let himself descend, knowing he could easily stop and float whenever he needed to with the Emeralds' power. He spread his arms and legs out and looked straight down as he fell.

"Woohoooooo! Yeah!!" Tails screamed. He risked closing his eyes for a few seconds, enjoying the rush of his descent. When he opened them again, he didn't seem any closer to ground. He could just barely see the light coming from the other end of the tunnel. He _did _see several lasers going across the tunnel in a web-like formation, though. They appeared to go pretty far, too.

"Okay!" Tails dashed downward even faster, weaving in and out of the lasers without even breaking a sweat. This was _easy! _Maybe going through the base wouldn't be so bad after all. If all the rooms were like this, it could actually be fun.

Another laser suddenly appeared right in front of him. Not having time to move, Tails went right through it. "Darn it! Wonder what that did?" He got his answer almost immediately. Two robots teleported into view. Air blasted through vents on their feet, keeping them afloat as they moved downward with him, one on either side of him. They looked identical: shiny blue bodies, black and silver limbs. The ends of their arms were shaped like cannons. Both were about twice Tails' height. They looked dangerous.

Tails risked look above and below him, making sure that these were the only two robots he was up against.

Bad idea.

Just as he directed his attention at the robots again, the one on his left fired a spray of bullets.

"Shoot!" Tails dove downward, but not in time. He felt a sharp, fast twinge of pain as one bullet implanted itself in Tails' hand. "Urgh..." Tails groaned and started rubbing his hand. At least the damage from the bullet would be minimal, though, since he was still drawing on Chaos energy. _That _wouldn't stop the pain a great deal, though.

Biting his lip, Tails went behind one of the robots and gave its left arm a good slap, sending it clear of its body. It crashed into the opposite wall and broke into several pieces. That wasn't too hard. At least I don't have to worry about the bullets anymore."

It didn't take Tails long to realize that the bullets weren't the robots' only weapons.

The robots fired out of their right cannons this time, and torpedo-like bombs came out. Tails smirked, an idea coming to him immediately. He waited for the right split-second, then let himself drop. As he had hoped, he heard a loud 'BOOM' followed by two smaller booms, not so loud this time, and a few audible cackles of the robots. A second later, chunks of the robots were raining down past him. "Nice job, guys!" Tails said as he watched their remains fall.

Finally, Tails was almost to the bottom of the tunnel. He tried to slow his fall so that he could land safely, drawing on more power from the Emeralds, but found that it wasn't working. He was still falling.

"What?" Not knowing why he couldn't absorb any of the Chaos or Master Emerald shards' energy, Tails immediately spun his namesakes, struggling to slow his fall, but he was going to fast and he didn't have any time left to slow down. It was too late.

_I wish Sonic would have been right there to catch me, _Tails thought. That was the last thing he had time to do. He didn't even have time to scream now. With nothing he could do to slow his fall he closed his eyes and slammed into the ground with a few audible 'cracks' as bones broke. Immediately, he felt unconsciousness tug at him so much that his mind wasn't registering any pain he was in, and he knew he couldn't fight it. He passed out cold, while wondering if he would ever wake up again.

**This chapter wasn't the longest, and there originally was something else that was supposed to happen in it, but it wouldn't have fit in line with the next chapter very well. So, it's a bit shorter than usual. The next one will be lengthy, though, I can pretty much guarantee that. Anyway, if you've read, please review! Hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Chapter 12: Reunited

Chapter 12: Reunited

"SOOOOOONNNNNNIIIIIIIIICCCC!!!!" Tails' eyes opened abruptly, his own scream waking him up. His fur was drenched with his own sweat and blood. "What!? No…. that dream again…" The image of a dead Sonic slowly rotting in a dark, empty room haunted Tails' mind again. When he remembered where he was and what he was supposed to be doing, he immediately sat up. "Ugh!" He instantly fell back to a laying position on his side and clutched his rib area. "Ow…" He groaned quietly, biting his lip. He could tell he had some broken ribs. "Why couldn't I stop my fall…?" He asked himself. "The Chaos Emerald must've run out of power and had to restore… right when I needed it!"

With difficulty, he reached back, grabbed one tail, and took out the Emeralds. He concentrated as hard as he could on them through the pain. "Not working… I thought these were supposed to have healing powers… not working…" Tails slammed them on the ground desperately. "Oh man… I would need all seven to heal injuries as serious as broken bones! Okay… maybe if I move slowly it won't be so bad."

Tails dragged himself over to a nearby crate that was about his height, making a trail of blood along the way. He grabbed the top of the crate and began pulling himself up. Uaaghh!!" He moaned loudly, but forced himself to keep going. Once he was standing up as straight as he could, he tried taking a step, but fell down again. "A sprained ankle, too? Man… this is going to be a longer day than I thought… and I already thought it was going to be long!"

He had two options left. Stay here or fly. Seeing flight as the only reasonable choice, Tails took to the air, grateful that his tails weren't harmed at all. It would be tiring, but at least flying wouldn't be as painful as trying to walk in the state he was in. It wasn't very often Tails was forced to fly for more than a few minutes, so hopefully he wouldn't have to for that long. But even if he found Sonic soon, he would still have to rescue him, then fly all the way back to Station Square from this little island! He sighed.

Wait… what if Sonic wasn't here at all? What if this was just a trick of Eggman's? "No… I can't think that way. 'Sides, where else could he be?" Tails convinced himself that Sonic was here somewhere and continued flying.

"Looks like I'm almost out of this room already. There's a door a little ways ahead." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait, though—how will I open it? I don't see a—"

A slight burning feeling on both sides of him stopped him in the middle of his sentence. He looked down to see what it was. Just as he did, a red laser came into view. That was when he remembered that the Camera probably hadn't detected hidden lasers to make them visible in this room.

"Ah! I forgot to scan this area!" Small launchers extended out of the walls all around him, practically in a circle. Tails froze, wondering if they wouldn't lock onto him if he wasn't moving.

No such luck.

They all pointed in his direction, then charged up to launch missiles. "Shoot!" Tails spun his namesakes like a fan and propelled himself forward towards the door, which was about twenty five feet ahead. He looked over his shoulder once; the launchers' positions changed to follow him.

Not knowing what else to do, Tails threw himself forward at the door, well aware that it would add more pain to his injuries, but also aware that it was his only escape. He blasted through it, pieces of it shattering and flying all over the place. It was glass, so Tails would have a few new cuts, but at least he was able to break through it. "Ahh!" A large chunk of glass hit one of his tails, and he reflexively stopped spinning them. He landed on the floor with a thump, bounced forward a few times, and came to a stop on his front.

He closed his eyes and lay there, catching his breath. His face was twisted with agony. The area around him quickly became blurry. Open wounds from the broken glass leaked blood onto the floor around him. "Ugh… I… can't go much further like this… It's gonna be hard for me to even fly, now…. ah…ouch… my ribs… painful… Can't get up… Can't stay here either… I need help. I should have let Amy come…" Tails shook his head. "Can't fly… can't walk… I'm losin' too much blood.…" He slammed a fist on the floor as hard as his strength would allow him to. "What about Sonic…." He whispered. "Just… can't give up yet, but what can I do? Can't move…" His voice was barely audible. "Don't wanna die here… not in Eggman's base, of all places…"

"Tails!" Came a familiar voice. It sounded somewhat hoarse, but it was completely recognizable to Tails.

The fox froze in his position and opened his eyes. _Am I hearing things? _

"Tails!!"

"No…." Tails whispered in disbelief. He turned his head slowly in the direction of the voice. There he was, inside a small, dark cell a mere ten feet to his left. To Tails, it seemed too good to be true. He squinted, trying to make sure what he was seeing wasn't just an illusion because of his blood loss.

"_Tails!!_"

"S—Sonic…."

"Correct!" Sonic said, smiling and winking at him.

"Oh my gosh! _Sonic! _You're okay! You're alive!" Suddenly, Tails felt able to move again. Ignoring any pain he was in, he stood up and limped as quickly as he could over to the cell. He fell to his knees upon reaching it and gripped the bars with his hands, holding himself up. "SONIC! I thought I would never see you again!" Tears leaked from Tails' eyes and ran like a faucet down his cheeks. He let it happen. "It's been weeks and weeks and weeks… but you survived! I'm so happy!"

"Yeah…" Sonic began, looking away from Tails. The fox didn't even notice Sonic's sudden uneasiness.

"I gotta get you out of there, right _now!_" Tails said. He took out his Emeralds and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, a white aura surrounded him as it had when he was in the tunnel. The pain from his injuries decreased a fair amount, even though one Chaos Emerald and a small bit of the Master Emerald wasn't enough to heal broken bones. They did, however, heal most of the cuts.

"I feel a lot better, now!" Tails said, surprised. He allowed the power of the Emeralds to carry him into the air a few feet. With his good leg, he took a swing at the bars of the cell. They only bent as his foot whipped across each one.

"Hm…" Tails lowered his foot and reached out to grab two of the bars with his hands. He pulled them in opposite directions. "Er… a little bit more… there! That should be enough for you to squeeze out, Sonic! Um, Sonic? Why aren't you getting up?" Tails asked. Was he just tired or something?

"Tails, maybe you ought to come in here for a few minutes," Sonic suggested, knowing that what he had to tell Tails may take a while to explain.

"Huh? How come?"

"Well… I can't move." Sonic said simply. That was probably the best way to put it.

Tails just stared blankly at him. "Wh—What do you mean?" He said quietly, his clueless expression not changing.

"About a week after he took me to the base…" Sonic began. "…Eggman tricked me into following him into his control room. He said he wanted to make a deal with me. Of course, I didn't believe him, but I figured I'd be able to shut down the base's security systems and deactivate the robots from the control room. That way I'd be able to get out. But… this robot appeared out of nowhere and crushed my legs… I've got broken bones in so many places, I don't think I'd be able to count them all. And…" Sonic paused, taking a deep breath. He spoke again in a tone that Tails had never heard him use before. It was very quiet and sad. "…And I'll probably never be able to walk again."

Tails put a hand over his mouth. "But… but… doctors can cure broken legs, can't they?"

"Yeah… but that's not the only problem. Paralysis… those shots that he injected into me…" That was the first time Sonic realized that this was probably why he hadn't been able to get up when Tails asked him to. "I've only been awake for as long as you've been in this room. About ten minutes, now. I woke up a few minutes before you made your dramatic entrance, there. I tried to stand, but then I remembered my legs were broken so I didn't bother. Then I tried to change positions to get more comfortable and I couldn't even move. I think I can only move my neck… above where he injected me… I haven't been awake since then. I don't know how long it was. I'm guessing it was at least a week, though, maybe more. It sure felt like a long time."

Tails let his hand drop back to his side. He had still been floating from the Chaos Emerald's power, but now he let himself drop completely. He limped into Sonic's cell and fell to his knees in front of the hedgehog.

"I was too late," he said. "I wasted too much time.." He was fighting back tears by now. He dropped his head into his hands, shaking as he tried not to cry.

Sonic lowered his head, then lifted it up again. He grabbed one of Tails' hands and removed it from his face. "Be happy. I'm alive, you're alive, and we're going to get out of here."

"But this is all my fault! I should be in your place right now! Eggman wanted to capture _me, _not you! I bet he wanted my Chaos Emerald! And he wanted to make me evil again! That's why! I should be paralyzed, not you! But you took my place, and now…"

"Tails, cool it…"

"_You'll never be the same again_!" Tails blurted. He fell forward and leaned his head on Sonic's shoulder. He was about to say, "I'm sorry," but knew he would burst into tears if he did.

For the first time in what had to be years, Sonic felt himself get choked up slightly. '_You'll never be the same again'. _Now those words hit home. No more running, no more stopping Eggman, and now Tails was going to end up feeling responsible for this whole thing when it really wasn't his fault! _He tried his best… he doesn't deserve to be this sad. _Sonic thought. "I… I wish I could hug you right now," he said.

That was all Tails could take. "This is a bad dream!!" He screamed. "This isn't happening! It's not!It's _not_!!" Tails let his head slide off Sonic's shoulder and land on the floor. There, he cried until his eyes were practically dry.

"Tails," Sonic said.

Tails sniffed and raised his head just enough to look up at him. "Yeah?"

Sonic made eye contact with him. As soon as he did, Tails saw that Sonicy glint in his eyes. "If I would have let Eggman take you, I would be no hero. But either way, I didn't do that just for heroism. I did that to save my best friend!" He winked at Tails. "If I had to do it again, I would do it the same way."

"See, that's what I mean! You're always saving me! And whenever you're in trouble, I always let you down!"

Sonic laughed. "That's what you think? Tails, if you didn't come, I probably would have died in here eventually." Tails didn't say anything, didn't acknowledge that he'd even heard Sonic. "Don't think I didn't see you blast through that glass door and collapse on the floor like that. You looked like you had been hurting pretty bad for pretty long. But you still made it!" Tails still remained silent. Sonic shook his head. "What can I say to convince you?"

"Is there a way to fix paralysis?" Tails finally asked.

"I…" Sonic was about to say he didn't think so, but decided not to put Tails in a worse mood. "I don't know for sure. There… there may be."

"Then I'll find it!" Tails said convincingly. "As soon as we get out of here, I'll find it! That's a promise!"

"Tails…"

"No, don't say anything!"

"But, Tails…"

"You won't change my mind! I wanna help you, Sonic!" Tails continued protesting. "'Sides, this is all my fault…"

"Okay but Tails… you may want to…" Sonic trailed off and looked in the direction of the cell's bars. "Uh, over there." He said, remembering he couldn't raise his arm to point.

Tails turned where Sonic was looking. "Robots? Why now!?" He turned back to Sonic. "Can you move any part of your body at all?"

"I think I can move my wrists. I don't think the shot that caused the paralysis got as far as the extremities. I'd prefer not to move my feet and ankles, though…"

"I can understand why. Here," Tails said. He knelt down next to Sonic, grabbed both of his hands, and put them around his own neck. "Can you move your hands well enough to hold on?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I hope I don't choke you. I can't move my arms at all, so I won't be able to bend them. That means they may be a little tight on the sides of your neck."

"Okay, as long as you have enough strength in your hands still to hold on, I think I can handle the rest."

"Guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

Tails took that as a yes. He reached down and put his hands underneath the quills on Sonic's back. He began spinning his tails. This was going to take a lot on his part, and he knew it. "Okay, we can do this, Sonic! Just hold on tight!"

Sonic nodded (he was still able to move his head). "I trust you."

Tails managed a small smile. He spun his namesakes and flew out of the cell and over the robots. They were firing missiles, but Tails dodged every one. He flew higher and higher until the robot's systems could no longer target them. "I think we're safe for a while. Have you been in any areas of the base?"

"Before I was paralyzed and all that, yeah. I spent about a week exploring around the base, trying to get out. Then I spent another few days in a cell sort of like this when a robot attacked me and locked me in."

"Okay… then I do need help from you, even if you can't move. Can you tell me what I should look out for if I'm near any traps or anything?"

"I was going to do that anyway." Sonic said.

"Okay… do you know of any ways to get out of here?" Tails asked.

"Well, how did you get in?"

"You don't want to know. It has to do with H20."

"You're right, I didn't want to know… but I'm pretty sure there are other ways out. I've only seen one sure-fire exit so far… and I don't think I remember where it is. But there's also a lot of tunnels that look like they go straight up. There's at least one in every room I've seen so far."

"Yeah… I may have noticed them…" Tails said sarcastically. "You didn't end up in one… did you?" Tails asked.

"Not a good experience?"

"Not at all… but you just gave me an idea. At the tops of some of those tunnels, there are fans. Spinning fans the will slice you to bits after they suck you in." Tails almost laughed at the perplexed look on Sonic's face once he said this.

"And your idea _is?_" Sonic said nervously.

"Well, you said you were in the control room when Eggman was hurting you, right? So, do you know where the control room is?"

"Oh, I see. If we turn off the fans, then we'll be able to get past them."

"Right. And as soon as we get past them, we should be able to escape right out of the top of the base." Tails explained. "My guess is that those tunnels are easy shortcuts for Eggman to use when he wants to get out of the base in his little hovercraft. All he would have to do is turn off the fans and he can get out easily, I bet."

"Okay, let's go for it! I'll have to lead you to the control room." Sonic said.

"Right. And once we get there, I'll shut down all the security systems so that we won't have any trouble. Doing that should turn off the fans, too."

"But what about Eggman? I think he's still in this base somewhere. I bet he's watching us, waiting for the right moment to attack, knowing him." Sonic spoke in low tones so that if Eggman was watching them, he wouldn't hear their conversation.

"If there's a way to control which areas of the base are accessible and which aren't, I close him in whatever area he's in." Tails whispered back.

"Sounds good! But what do you mean by areas?"

"U1, U2, U3, U4, L1, L2, L3, and L4. Upper and lower levels of the base. Wherever he is, I'll close him in."

"Okay, if everything goes as planned, this should be a piece of cake! Let's do it!" Sonic said, grinning. As always, he was confident that failure just wasn't possible, even in the state he was in.

"I sure hope our idea works. I don't know what else we can do if it doesn't," Tails said, ears drooping slightly.

"Don't waste time worrying. Just keep on moving! We'll get out of this like we always do." Sonic said encouragingly.

"I'll do my best," Tails said.

"That's it. Just fly high and keep your eyes on the prize! Wait and see… soon, this will be over with, and we'll be safe in Station Square."

**Please review! Oh, I don't think I mentioned this… with Christmas break coming up, I'll have a lot more time to type, so I'll be able to update a little quicker for a while. Also, a new Fanfiction is in the making… it's not in this series, but it's Sonic. Sonic X fans will enjoy it. It should be up in about two or three weeks… subject to change, though.**


	14. Chapter 13: Escaping the Base

**Okay, this is a big chapter! Hope you enjoy it and please review!**

Chapter 13: Escaping the Base

"We should find the cell that I was at before Eggman took me to the control room. It'll be easier to find the control room from there." Sonic said.

"Where's that?"

"Just keep flying straight. I think it's in the next area."

"Oh man… that reminds me, we're only in area U2 right now…"

"What's that mean?" Sonic asked.

"Well, when I first teleported to an area from the bottom of the base, I was at the beginning of area U1. We just got into U2 a few minutes ago. That just reminds me how huge this place is!"

"Yeah, maybe if we're lucky, there's one of those fan tunnels in U2 somewhere. At least then, we'll know where to come back to once we find the control room." Sonic said. "Hey, you're falling a little. You okay?"

"I think I need a break… I don't usually fly for this long, plus I'm carrying you…" Tails said, breathing heavily.

"Aim to land down there, I see the first cell I was in! We can call it a night, there. I know you probably haven't slept much, lately. I'm pretty sure I know how to get to the control room from there, but we'll do that tomorrow."

"Ah… sounds good!" Tails breathed, slowly falling towards the cell. The bars were up, so he flew right in and gently laid Sonic down in one corner. "Comfy?"

"Yeah, as comfy as I can get when there aren't any pillows or blankets," Sonic said.

Tails collapsed next to him. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"Cheer up," Sonic replied. "We'll be fine. I promise."

Tails smiled weakly, trying to make it look sincere. Even Sonic's comforting wasn't enough to make him feel okay right now. "G'night."

Not able to sleep well at all, mostly because of his injuries, Tails was awake until nearly midnight. When he finally fell asleep, he found himself wide awake again at about 2:30 in the morning, snuggled against Sonic's side. He sat up immediately, only to see that Sonic was wide awake, as well. "Sorry…" Tails said, blushing. "Did I wake ya?"

"Nah, I've been awake for a while," Sonic lied, not wanting to make Tails feel bad.

"I don't want to be here, Sonic," Tails said.

"Well, you're my method of transportation. If you want to get going now, that's fine with me." Sonic said.

"So, we gotta get to the control room, then we have to turn off the fans at the top, then we gotta come back here and leave through the section U2 vertical tunnel. That's the plan, right?" Tails asked.

"Sure," Sonic said. "The control room…" He paused for thought. "We've got to travel along the wall to the left of this cell, then turn down this little hidden hallway. It's behind a crate because Eggman tried to hide it at first, so we're going to have to get it out of the way. At the end of the hallway is an elevator. It's going to shoot us upward really fast, and I mean _really, really _fast. Then, we turn in the opposite direction, and go through another hallway that's directly above the first one. That leads us to the control room."

"Wow! Did you have to go through all that when Eggman took you there?"

"Nope. He just took me across from this cell and down _that _hallway right there, then we took a more comfortable elevator up to the control room," Sonic said, nodding his head in the direction of the hallway in question. "That's the regular entrance. But you need a key to unlock it. That's why we can't go that way."

"How'd you find out about the other way, then?" Tails wondered.

"You figure things out after you've been in a place for several months." Sonic answered simply. "As far as I know, you don't need a key for the secret entrance."

"Okay, let's hope so. Should we go now?"

"That's probably a good idea. Old Egghead's probably snoozing right now, anyway. But just in case he's not, we'll shut down all the security systems once we get to the control room." Sonic said.

"But not the fans!" Tails interrupted quickly. "Well, the ones at the top… I don't want to get shredded to bits, either… but not the ones at the bottom that shoot you up to the ones at the top! I can't fly the far up, not with a hurt tail!" Tails reminded him.

"Hm… I just hope we can find a way to do that. Either way, we'll figure something out."

Tails reached down and grabbed Sonic's hands, then, with a great deal of difficulty, struggled back into the air.

"Still tired?" Sonic asked. "We don't have to go now."

"I want to get out of here. I don't feel comfortable at this place. I want to go back to the workshop where we can both relax… no matter what it takes." Tails replied. With that, he started flying forward with his aching tails along the wall. "There a lots of crates," he pointed out. "Which one?"

"I don't remember for sure which one the hallway's behind…" Sonic admitted. "I know the general area, though. A little ways ahead, and we'll be close."

"Okay, I'm setting you against this crate while I try to go move some of the other ones up there." Tails started walking forward.

Just then, Sonic recalled a trap he had come across in this area a few weeks ago. "Uh oh! Tails, _wait!_"

By the time the words had escaped his lips, it was too late. A vast amount of robots were surrounding Tails in a circle. All of them had spiked hammers, and all of them were at least three times Tails' height.

"Those things know how to fight, Tails! Watch out!"

"Hmph! Well, I hope they can't fly!" He spun his namesakes and ascended out of their reach. He flew in circles above them, waiting for the right chance to attack. He spotted one that was facing away from him. "Now!" He plunged down towards it and struck its head with both hands, then grabbed the spike hammer.

"Oh, geez… heavy… but if I can land a good hit, this'll take them out!" With that, Tails chucked the hammer downwards towards two of the robots. It knocked both of them backwards, where they slammed into a crate and broke it. "That one! That's the hallway!" Tails said, looking behind the two damaged robots. "Forget these guys! We're outta here!" Tails flew back over to Sonic and they linked hands, then flew over the robots and down the hallway. Tails didn't stop until he got to the end of it.

"That's the elevator," Sonic said. They were standing at the end of the hallway, looking out over a pit of darkness that seemed to go down forever. "Don't want to fall down there." There was a thick, metal pole in the middle that also seemed to go up and down forever. A transparent circular platform was attached to it all the way around. On all sides of the pole, it had a radius of about twelve feet.

"The fact that you can see what's below you through that platform isn't exactly comforting," Tails said.

"Well, you can fly. It shouldn't be too big of a threat to you, even if we do slip or something."

"Okay. You ready?"

"Yep, keep on going!"

Tails obeyed. He continued forward over the pit of eternal darkness until he was above the platform.

"As soon as you land, we shoot up. So I suggest landing towards the middle." Sonic said.

He hovered over the center of the platform, as close to the pole as he could get. He took a deep breath and let himself descend, releasing Sonic's arms as the neared the platform. He landed next to Sonic. "I thought you said—" Tails started, but he never got the chance to finish as the platform rocketed upwards at devastating speeds. "Whooaaaa!!"

"Tails!!" Sonic hollered.

The fox turned to look at Sonic. He was sliding. "Sonic!" Tails dared to let go of the pole with one hand, and reached it out to grip Sonic's. "Hold on…" He pulled Sonic towards him and kept a firm grip on his hand. "You're not falling…" He said. "Is… is this almost done!?"

"I think so! It should start to slow down… right about… now…" Sonic said.

Ironically, the platform came to a rather fast stop, one that sent Sonic and Tails flying another twenty feet in the air before they fell back down to land on the platform.

"Ow…"

"Tails. You okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Think so. That was interesting, eh?"

"A little more interesting than I wanted it to be," the fox retorted. "Ugh… c'mon…" Tails said, forcing himself to fly. He took hold of Sonic's arms and flew off the platform. There were four paths on the circular, metal wall that surrounded them. "Which one?"

"The one we're closest to should lead to the control room."

Tails didn't talk, but flew to the hallway in question. "That it?" He asked.

"Yep, right up ahead."

"Okay." Tails flew through the hallway and into the control room. It was exceptionally large, and the end of it opposite from them had a whole wall full of switches, screens, levers, and other gadgets that controlled the base. The floor was a shining metallic brown, and the three remaining walls were black. Also, there was a metal ingot in the center of the control room… one that Sonic recognized bitterly.

"That's where Eggman did all his evil work on me," Sonic said. "And don't go near the black wall to the left. There are some nasty robots behind it; the same type that broke both of my legs."

Tails nodded. A single bead of sweat was on his forehead. He felt anxious being here. "I'm gonna set you down and see if I can't figure out these controls," Tails said. He did so and headed to the back wall. He looked at the multiple screens on it closely. They monitored the whole base.

"So this is where Eggman can see what's going on through the security cameras," Tails noted. Next to the biggest screen was a switch. Seeing no other such controls around the screens, Tails flicked it. The screens automatically turned off.

"Okay, so that turns the security off. But I need to do something, first." He turned the security back on and searched all eight of the screens. On the seventh one, he found what he was looking for. Eggman appeared on it. He was in the lower levels of the base. "Eggman's in block L3!" Tails exclaimed. He looked around at the many controls some distance below the screens. "Hm… this one?" He pressed a button experimentally, then looked back up at the screen. A message in red letters popped up on in momentarily. "Block L3, sealed."

"Okay! Eggman won't be getting out of there for a while!"

"Tails, you have to somehow deactivate the controls on his remote, too. He has a remote that he uses to control things around the base as well."

"Oh, brother… how about this…" Tails said. He ran back to the other end of the wall of controls to the biggest red button, which red in yellow, "power".

"If I cut the power all together…"

"…then all the fans will turn off." Sonic finished.

"Darn…" Tails said, slamming a fist on the control panel. "Oops! I hit a button!"

On all eight screens, a message appeared: "All controls outside of this room are currently deactivated."

"Does that mean that Eggman can't control his remote anymore?" Tails asked.

"You tell me. I'm not a pro at this kind of thing."

"Well, I guess all we can do is hope," Tails said. "…Now, all we have to do is turn the fans at the top of the base off."

Tails had everything finished within the next fiver minutes, and they exited the control room. Instead of taking the elevator back down, Tails just flew, taking Sonic down with him. It wasn't long before they were back where they started, near the crates.

"Well, the giant fan is right over in the next room!" Sonic said. "And we're ready to get out of here, right?"

"I've been ready since I got here! Let's go!" Excited to see the light of day again, Tails flew as fast as he could to the next room and didn't stop until the huge fan was in sight. "I hope I can hold on to you while we're going up! You can't move, so if something goes wrong you could get hurt!"

"There's another broken down crate over there. Grab one of its sides." Sonic said.

Tails momentarily set Sonic down and retrieved part of the crate. It was plenty big enough for both of them to fit on it. It was about six square feet. Luckily, it was light enough for Tails to carry as well. "I get it!" Tails said. He lifted Sonic up and set him down on the platform. Then, he pushed the platform forward quickly, increasing speed as he went until he was only a few yards away from the fan. He jumped on the crate like it was a sled, and its momentum kept it moving until it slid over the high-powered fan. They blasted upwards into the air, holding onto the platform tightly.

"All riiight! Sonic said. "Nice job, Tails!"

Since all the security was deactivated, there were no robots or lasers to get in the way this time. It was a smooth, fast ride. The world around Tails blurred as he tried to look around. "_YEAH!_" He cheered. They were both beaming widely. Within seconds, they would be free.

"Okay, Tails. The blades of the fan aren't spinning, but at this speed I don't think you want to hit them! Better watch out."

"No problem, I've got it covered!" Tails said proudly. "Don't worry!"

Tails looped an arm around Sonic's back, under his quills. He stood up on the platform, pulling Sonic up with him, and began twirling his namesakes. "Just got to time it right and make sure I'm not going to hit a blade," He said, more to himself than Sonic.

There was no turning back, now! They were nearing the top, and fast. Tails could see the light of day through the openings between the fans blades. "Here we gooo!!" He tightened his grip on Sonic and jumped, zipping right between two of the blades and crashing through the glass above them, ascending into the warm air of a summer day. Both of them had numerous cuts from the glass, but that was the least of their worries.

"We're high!" Sonic said.

"Yeah, we are! That fan really shot us outta there good!"

"I see Station Square from here!" They were high above the trees by now, and starting to descend. Tails grabbed Sonic's wrist with his hands and spun his tails to slow there fall. They landed on the side of the giant dome and slid down until they hit the ground. And they laughed.

"Oh, man, what a ride!" Sonic said after a few moments.

"Ah, yeah…" Tails said. He knew he still had the problem of getting Sonic and himself home to deal with, but right now all that mattered was that they were free, and Eggman was trapped in his own base.

"YEEEAAAH!" Came a loud, girly voice. Tails heard the engine of a plane that he recognized without a doubt.

"The Tornado!" He and Sonic exclaimed simultaneously.

Amy landed the plane in front of them and opened the glass cockpit. "Tails, you did it!" Amy cheered.

The fox grabbed Sonic and flew him to the plane, setting him down in the passenger seat and standing next to him. "What… what's wrong?" She asked, her cheerful tone leaving her abruptly.

"I'll explain later," Tails said, the reality of Sonic's situation hitting him again. "Just… please… take us home."


	15. Chapter 14: Knuckles' Surprise

**You didn't think the story was over just because Tails got Sonic out of the base, now, didja? It's far from over. Still 7 chapters to go, including this one. Read on!**

Chapter 14: Knuckles' Surprise

"I don't believe it," Amy whispered, shaking her head side to side.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Tails said. "I tried, but it we were too late, anyway."

"This isn't your fault, Tails!" She snapped. Tears filled her eyes. "Why do you always have to be so humble? It's ridiculous. You can't blame yourself for everything!"

"Amy, cool it," Sonic said, lifting his head from the end of the couch.

Amy turned to face her hero, then looked at Tails again. "Sorry… I'm not mad at you. I'm just upset and scared, that's all." Amy wasn't the type to admit negative emotions to anyone, but even she knew this was the worst time to start an argument.

"Seriously, you two… cheer up. We'll figure something out. Just be happy that we're home and safe!" Sonic said.

Tails sighed. "Um… I guess when the one who's in the most trouble is the one who's being the most optimistic, something's wrong," Tails admitted. He forced a smile before turning around to look at Amy's beautiful living room. Looking at the sight of the warm, comfortable home that he was in made him feel better.

The walls were light yellow in color, and the velvety carpet was a creamy white. The scent of freshly-picked flowers filled the air. There were three sofas in the area, and in the middle of them was a large glass coffee table with oak legs. The room just had a cheery, bright feel to it, and Tails couldn't help but grin with pleasure.

"Amy, take care of him. Feed him. Bandage his wounds."

"Me? Where are you going?"

"I need to find a way to make things right. I already miss the Sonic I used to run with, and have adventures with all the time. I don't know if there is a way to fix things, but either way I'll spend the rest of my life finding it if I must. Don't argue with me. Nothing will change my mind." Tails stated firmly.

"I'll… go get some bandages," Amy said. She ran upstairs. Tails walked towards the front door.

As soon as Amy was out of hearing range, Sonic called the young fox. "Tails?"

Tails stopped in his tracks and turned back around.

"C'mere for a second."

He let go of the door knob and hurriedly walked back to the sofa and sat on an empty cushion next to Sonic's feet. He waited for him to talk patiently, but didn't make eye contact. His sixth sense told him that Sonic wasn't happy with him for some reason.

"If you really are destined to do what you say you are going to do, then I won't try and change your mind. But at least give yourself a day's break, first. When was the last time you slept?"

Tails was silent. He had slept for about two hours total, if that, while in the base. And that had been over a period of several days. He shrugged.

"Thought so. Why don't you stay here for the day?"

Tails still remained silent, but shook his head.

"Why? You have plenty of time. Why be so hard on yourself now?"

"…I feel bad, Sonic. Whether this is my fault or not doesn't matter to me. I don't want to lose you. What happens if your condition somehow gets worse? Even if it doesn't, you won't get better unless someone does something to help you."

"You've done so much already," Sonic reminded him. "I won't be offended if you decided to wait a little bit before running off again. I'd rather you do that, actually."

"But Sonic… if Amy and I would have left earlier…"

"Tails, you still would have been too late. It was only a few weeks after Eggman captured me that he did this to me. There was no way you could have made it." Sonic said, his tone light and easy-going.

"Why, because I'm just a little six-year-old fox!?" Tails snapped suddenly. He glared at Sonic, a pained look in his eyes.

"Switch the roles. I don't think I would have been able to make it, either."

"Yeah, right! You're just saying that," Tails protested.

"The point is, you got me out of the base. All I'm trying to say is that you deserve a break." The hedgehog said, still keeping his tone calm.

"You're just sayin' that because you're worried that I'm weak and I'll get hurt too easily! You think I can't do it!"

"Stop treating me like I'm you're enemy, Tails. Just take a deep breath and—"

"No!! No, Sonic! I'm going now, whether you like it or not!" Tails shouted, leaning over and looking right into Sonic's eyes. "I don't care what anyone thinks! I don't care what anyone says! This is all my fault! Why? 'Cause of that day when you got captured… if I wouldn't have let Eggman grab me in that claw thingy in the first place, then you wouldn't have had to sacrifice yourself to get me out! I don't care how much authority you think you have over me!! You're not going to stop me!"

"Tails, I'm not trying to be mean. You know that," Sonic said.

"Then stop treating me like a little kid, Sonic!"

"What makes you say that?" Sonic said, chuckling a little.

"Don't laugh at me! I bet you don't even want me around because I'll just get in your way and get you into more trouble like I did when you got captured! You just don't want to hurt my feelings, that's the only reason you're being nice to me! Well, stop lying and tell me the truth! Are you proud of me or do you just think I'm an annoyance?"

"Tails, you're overreacting… what's making you say all this? What'd I do, buddy?" Sonic asked, a look of honest confusion on his face.

"I _hate_ you, Sonic! You always tell me that nothin's my fault and that you're so proud of me and that I did a good job, even when I screw things up! Don't think I'm not aware of it! You don't really think that, do you? Do you!? I hate…" Tails paused realizing what he was saying to his best friend. He shook his head, ashamed of himself. Tears of remorse streamed down his face, and he threw himself on top of Sonic, embracing him tightly. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "Hug me back, Sonic… I want to know it's okay… Hug me back, damn it!!" He shrieked. His vision blurred from the wetness of his eyes.

"You are so much more to me than you think you are." Sonic's own voice was tight and hoarse. "You're not just a useless sidekick. You're a hero. Even if you're not well-known for it. That doesn't mean anything. You're my hero. You've saved my life so many times… and this time, you took it a step further and got me out of that base all on your own. More importantly than that, Tails, you're my friend, no matter how many times you screw up. I'm sorry this all had to happen, bud."

"…Don't you dare apologize to me! Not after what I just said to you!"

"You really, really need to sleep," Sonic said carefully and as kindly as he could, as to not make Tails upset again. Although most of Tails' harsh words were from frustration, the hedgehog couldn't help but wonder if it was partially because of lack of sleep.

"I can't, Sonic. It's no use; I wouldn't be able to sleep if I tried. I'm still hurt, too, you know, and I'm too worried about you. Just let me go and don't be mad at me," the young kitsune pleaded, eyes still brimming with tears. He looked at his friend, his eyes the saddest Sonic had ever seen them in his life.

Sonic attempted to reach up and pat Tails' back, but hastily remembered his inability to move. "Be careful, Tails."

Tails nodded and stood up speechlessly. He stared at Sonic for about five more seconds, then turned and headed out the door, still crying to himself. He stopped on Amy's porch and stared off into the bright, cloudless sky. "I don't know what to do. But nothing will start 'til I get going."

"Yo, Tails!" A voice called to him from a distance. Tails' ears pricked up and he looked around, but failed to spot anyone. "Up here!"

He looked up at where the voice was coming from. A certain red echidna was standing atop a tall building. "Knuckles! What're you doing up there?"

"I figured it'd be easier to find you if I could see the whole city in an aerial view!" He shouted.

"Oh!" Tails twirled his namesakes and made his way to the top of the building, landing in front of Knuckles. "Why were you looking for me?"

Knuckles answered his question by holding out two Chaos Emeralds in front of him. "You may need these if you want to heal Sonic."

"How did you know!?" Tails said.

I saw you guys fly in. It was obvious that Sonic was seriously injured. Just by the shape of his legs, I knew there wouldn't be much hope without the Chaos Emeralds."

"You mean these can heal him?"

"All seven of them will do the trick…" Knuckles said. "… You can have these two, and I'll even help you find the rest."

"Wow, Knuckles! This is—"

"On the condition that I get my piece of the Master Emerald back."

Tails held it out to the echidna without hesitation. He knew Knuckles wasn't a liar. "There are only three more left to find, now!" Tails said excitedly.

"Where are the rest?"

"They're stored in the Tornado, right now. They're safe there. Do you have any idea where the others are?"

"On my way over here, they started glowing as I glided over a forest. We could check there. Where did you find the other four, anyway?"

"I've had one since the Black Hawk was destroyed, and there was the one Amy and I found in the field, and of course the two you just gave me. I would have had five, but one got stolen from Espio by Eggman."

"Why'd Espio have it?" Knuckles inquired.

"Because I wanted him to explore the outside of the base for me since he can go invisible and stuff. That we he could tell me about it and tell me what I would need to do to get in. I gave him a Chaos Emerald so he'd be able to find more Emeralds if he came near them."

"Oh… Guess that wasn't such a good idea." Knuckles said disappointedly. "We'll get it back, though. If you want to save your friend, we should stop wasting time and move it."

"You're right. Let's go to that forest you were talking about!"

"Okay, follow me," Knuckles said. He jumped off the building and landed in a smooth glide, and Tails followed close behind, spinning his two bushy tails as they descend towards the ground.

**Okay, so this chapter was short and there wasn't an overwhelming amount of action, but it was necessary in the story. The next one gets better. Please review. Criticism is accepted, but be mature about it.**


	16. Chapter 15: Forest of Chaos

CHAPTER 15: Forest of Chaos

Tails and Knuckles were walking swiftly along the side of a road, heading in the direction of the forest. To the right of them, there was light sand, moistened by the water of the ocean. To their left were numerous buildings. The forest was a short distance up the road.

"That the forest up ahead?" Tails asked. He stopped walking.

"Yeah. It's… pretty big… And I don't know if you noticed that it continues about half way up that mountain, too." Knuckles said, pointing

Tails looked where Knuckles was pointing, using his hand to shield his eyes from the somewhat dim sunlight. The mountain didn't appear terribly steep, but it was vast, its diameter covering more than a few miles. It was very green in appearance; Tails could see the pine trees continuing until about half way up.

"I don't think I've ever been in this forest. You don't think the Chaos Emerald is on the mountain, do you?"

"I don't know, Tails. We should start by going through the forest. Here, give me back one of those Chaos Emeralds. We can split up and each take one, that way it'll be easier to track the other one down."

"But what if we get lost?" Tails asked nervously.

"Well, that's why we each have one. You know that Chaos Emeralds glow when they're near each other. They can lead us to each other if we get too far apart."

"But what if something happens to one of our Emeralds?" Tails pressed on.

Knuckles hesitated. "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"What's that mean?"

"Never mind. Just c'mon." Knuckles said.

"Right." They both broke into a run. "You go left, I'll go right?" Tails asked. "That way we can explore both sides of the forest?"

"Sure. Watch yourself, Tails," Knuckles warned.

"You, too," Tails shot back, hesitating to remind Knuckles that he had made it out of the base on his own. He decided against it.

They were into the trees, the long branches and leaves drawing blocking their vision.

The young fox ran for about ten minute before realizing how tired he was. The glow of the Chaos Emerald clutched in his hand wasn't intensifying at all. Tails slowed to a brisk walk and looked around. "This is going to take forever."

A half an hour later, fog began to set in. Tails bit his lip. His palms were sweaty. It was hard to see, and the forest seemed to have an eerie feel to it. He looked down at the Chaos Emerald he was holding. It was barely shining. Apparently Knuckles had gotten pretty far away. "Knux!!" He called. "_Knuckles!_"

A significant distance away, Knuckles stopped in his tracks and listened. "Just the wind…" He mumbled. He looked at his Chaos Emerald. "Oh, man! Time to start searching!" It was glowing intensely. "It's really close!"

The echidna looked around frantically but spotted nothing. "Buried…"

He groaned, and began clawing at the ground, tearing away at the dry, hardened soil. It wasn't long before his hole was two feet deep, and still, he had found nothing.

"I wonder if it somehow got on top of one of the trees or something…" Knuckles smirked momentarily, then smacked his fists together and dug them into a tree, making sure to hold on tightly to the Chaos Emerald. Then he started making his way up. "The signal's only getting weaker."

He let himself drop back down, disappointment and boredom written all over his face. Then he began digging crazily around the area, making trails of dug-up soil around the area.

Still nothing.

"But the signal's so strong!" He protested out loud. "What, is it invisible or something!?" He groaned and doggedly trudged forward. Maybe it was a little further ahead.

A few stomps later, his foot hit a rock. He looked down. It was a shiny, diamond shaped rock.

"Oh," He muttered, embarrassed in spite of himself. He had done all that digging just for the Chaos Emerald to be a few mere yards ahead. He turned slowly and looked at the damage he had done to the soil behind him. "Whoops."

"Knuckles?" A familiar, young voice called from a distance. It echoed throughout the area.

"Tails, just follow the signal! I found the Chaos Emerald!"

"All right! I think I see you! The fog is really thick, though."

"Yeah, I see you, too!" Knuckles headed towards his young fox friend.

"Good job, Knuckles! Boy, that didn't take too long at all!" Tails exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Knuckles moaned. "Anyway, the fog is getting worse and I think there is still another Chaos Emerald around here somewhere. All three of ours are still glowing."

"Well, we should keep looking!"

"Tails, I think we should take a little break and let the fog pass. It'll be easier to find something if you're actually able to _see _it. Plus, it's easy to get lost this way, too."

"Fine…" Tails agreed reluctantly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"When was the last time I had a watch around my wrist, Tails?" Knuckles asked rhetorically. "I don't know… I'm guessing it's close to eight or so at night. We first saw each other about two hours ago."

"No wonder it's getting cold out here!"

"Well, there are plenty of busted branches laying around here," Knuckles said.

"You're saying we should start a fire?"

"Yeah, start a fire and call it a night. Hopefully the fog will clear by morning."

"But…" Tails protested.

"Tails, Sonic's condition won't get any worse. Trust me. Diseases get worse. Injuries, most often, don't. Not unless he were to sustain another one, and I have no idea how he would be able to do that." Knuckles said before Tails could continue.

"But it probably hurts bad!" Tails argued.

"Don't worry. Sonic's going to be fine. He can deal with stuff like that. Stop arguing and help me gather branches."

Tails just sighed. He had his ways of talking Sonic or Amy into anything, but not Knuckles. He knew that once Knuckles made a decision, there was no hope of changing his mind. He plopped on the ground and folded his arms, pouting.

"Whatever. I don't need help," Knuckles said, setting down a pile of branches. "You just sit there and mope."

"I'm not moping!" Tails spat.

"Yeah, you've been 'not moping' since this whole ordeal started," Knuckles said sarcastically. "Get a hold of yourself, kid. You're never happy."

Tails stood up and began carelessly tossing random branches into the pile. "How're you going to even start a fire?"

"Easy. I do it every time there's a cold night on Angel Island," Knuckles picked up two dry sticks to demonstrate, and began rubbing them together. Soon enough, a few sparks emitted. Moments later, a flame erupted on both of the sticks. He tossed them back down into the pile. "Now we just wait until it gets bigger."

"That's going to take forever," Tails complained.

"Well, don't take your impatience out on me. I made you a fire."

Tails ignored him and walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," Tails said quietly.

"Really? Then why are you still walking?"

"Just leave me alone, Knuckles. I want to be alone," Tails said, voice shaky.

"What's wrong, kid?" Knuckles said. He stepped away from the fire and followed Tails curiously.

"Worried," he replied simply.

"Tails, drop it! Sonic's going to be fine, I already told you!" Knuckles said, voice rising slightly. Patience was not one of his strong points. Realizing the loudness of his voice, though, he sighed and attempted to lighten the mood. "If you don't stop complaining, I guess I'll just leave you here," he joked.

Tails froze, stopping dead in his tracks and clenching his fists. "You…!" He shrieked. He whirled around and slapped Knuckles clear across the face.

Stunned, Knuckles brought a hand up to his cheek and staggered backwards a few clumsy steps before regaining his balance. "What the hell was that for!?"

"You want to leave, fine! I don't need your help! If you don't want to help Sonic, then get away from me!"

"Tails, I was kidding!" Knuckles said angrily.

"Well, don't do that, then! 'S not funny right now! Do I look like I'm in the mood to clown around?" He spat, voice coated in rage.

"Tails…" Knuckles began.

"What!?" Tails hollered. Tears streamed down his face. "No one gets it! No one understands how worried I am! And when you scare me like that, it just makes things worse!"

"Tails, I wasn't really going to leave you out here in this kind of fog. You know that."

"Well, now I know! But before I didn't!" Tails argued. "That was mean!"

Knuckles sighed and gave in. "Sorry, bud. I know you're worried already. I didn't think you'd take me seriously, though. I didn't mean it."

Tails didn't respond, too choked up to speak. Instead, he turned to face the other way and slammed his fist into a tree. "I'm so mad! I don't understand why any of this had to happen! What did Sonic do to deserve any of this?"

"Here we go again," Knuckles muttered inaudibly.

"…I mean, all he ever does is try to help people! I'm sorry if I'm boring you Knuckles, but I can't stop thinking about it!"

Knuckles couldn't ignore a slight twinge of guilt.

What if we never get to run together again? What if we never have another adventure stopping Eggman?" He asked, leaning his head on the tree. Tears of grief spilled down his cheeks.

"Tails, don't think that way…"

"He's done so much for me… if anything, I should be him right now! I should be the one with the busted legs who's paralyzed! I've tried really hard to stay confident about this whole thing, just like Sonic is, but I can't! I'm nothing like him! Even when I try! It's not fair…" Tails paused and dragged his fist down the solid, stale bark. He felt it scratching his hand, cutting it. But he didn't care.

"Tails, you really need a stress ball…" The echidna commented.

"Sonic's my hero, Knuckles! He saved me when I was little! He was my first friend. He never judged me just because I was picked on or because I was all dirty! At that time, there was no one out there like him! And now, after years, look at the mess I got him into!" Tails cried. "He's always… been like a brother to me… a father, even… and I let him down! Again! He's my best friend and I care about him so much, yet all I ever seem to do is get in his way…"

Knuckles sighed, beginning to feel exasperated at Tails' breakdowns. _Have some patience with him, he's only a kid, _he forced himself to think.

"Sonic apparently doesn't think so," The echidna finally said, his voice carrying a gentle tone. "He's talked to me about you before. Especially when you were younger. He always had good things to say… and trust me, you were harder to deal with when you were younger.

"Like what?" Tails said, wiping his eyes and turning to look at Knuckles.

"He always said you were so stubborn, but in a good way. Like, determined." Knuckles replied. He looked at Tails. "Some things never change." He winked.

Tails smiled. "Will you help me until Sonic's better?"

"I think I can safely say yes to that, assuming that the seven Chaos Emeralds do that trick." Knuckles added.

"I've been meaning to ask, why can't we just use the Master Emerald?"

"It hasn't been able to restore since a certain fox has had a piece of it for so long," Knuckles replied, emphasizing the word 'fox'. Tails' ears drooped slightly. "And even once we get that last piece in there, it could take months for it to restore enough power to heal Sonic's serious injuries. The Chaos Emeralds on the other hand… they're all in pretty good shape. All seven of them put together equals just about the same amount of power as the Master Emerald contains."

"…And the power of the Master Emerald plus the power of the Chaos Emeralds equals the power of the Super Emeralds, right?" Tails said.

"Who the heck told you that?" Knuckles questioned with a confused stare.

"Sonic, back when we had to use the Super Emeralds to stop the Death Egg." Tails stated proudly.

"Well, first of all, I think you remember incorrectly; the power of one Super Emerald is equivalent to that of the seven Chaos Emeralds. And secondly, you still actually remember the whole Death Egg ordeal?"

"Of course! I 'member all our fights with Eggman. I sort of wish I didn't remember the part about the Super Emeralds, though," he added.

"Yeah, those things have so much power, they hurt. Literally." Knuckles said.

"Where _are _they, anyway? Do they scatter like the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Yeah, but they are much harder to find." Knuckles said.

"How come?"

"That's… a long story. I'll tell you some other time when I'm not as exhausted as a turtle who's been trying to run all day."

Tails chuckled at Knuckles' joke. "I guess it is getting pretty dark out. I'm sort of tired, too."

"Well, we found one more Chaos Emerald and there are two left. Let's call it a night and get some shut-eye. If there is another one around here, we'll find it tomorrow. It's not like Sonic's going anywhere." Knuckles said.

"Agreed… I don't think I could stay awake to find it, plus the fog'll make it harder. I don't want to get lost."

"This forest seems to scare you a bit, eh?" Knuckles asked, grinning.

"What? No…" Tails said, blushing and looking away from Knuckles.

"You're a bad liar." Knuckles chuckled, shaking his head. "C'mon, back to the fire so we don't wake up with hypothermia."

Tails nodded and followed Knuckles. It wasn't a very long time before they were both snoring next to the fire.

**Two more Chaos Emeralds left to find… finally…**

**Anyway, please take a moment to review.**


	17. Chapter 16: Sonic's Confession

**Okay, I'm SORRY! I know you were probably expecting to hear that. I got pm's from a few users about the wait on this chapter, and my excuse is nothing more than a writer's block and a bit of schoolwork. Honestly, feel free to give me a kick in the $$ if I let a story go without an update for two months like this!**

CHAPTER 16: Sonic's Confession

"Sonic, do you need anything?" Amy asked, eyes cautious.

"I'm… a little hungry," the hedgehog replied nervously, knowing that there was only one way he could possibly eat right now.

Sonic could pinpoint the exact second that the worried glint in Amy's eyes changed to delight. "I'll go get you something right now, then! Don't you worry, Sonic, I'll take care of you as long as I have to!"

He waited for Amy to get out of the room before muttering to himself, "I hope that isn't a terribly long time." Something spoke to him, though… his conscience, he assumed: _Get used to it. For all you know, it may be the rest of your life._

"Oh, man…" Sonic groaned. _What's the world going to do without me? _He thought to himself. It didn't have anything to do with his ego… it was just a mere fact that Station Square would have long since been destroyed if it wasn't for Sonic. _Even if Tails can save this city – and this world, for that matter – like I do… I can't live without my passion, and that's what's just been taken away from me. My speed._

"Don't be so pessimistic," Amy said as she stared down into Sonic's deep emerald eyes.

"What…" Sonic hadn't even realized that she had returned. "How did you know…?"

"I know you, Sonic. It doesn't take anything more than one glance at your face to see what kind of mood you're in. And this isn't the Sonic I know."

"Wow," Sonic said before he could stop himself. "You know me way too well."

Amy, ignoring his comment, stirred the soup she was holding carefully with a large spoon. Finally, she lifted it out of the bowl, blew on it gently, and lowered it to Sonic's mouth. Sonic's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he closed his lips over it and swallowed. "Thanks," he said awkwardly. "You think Tails is okay out there?" He asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Sonic, if he's made it as far as he has, I don't see why anything would be wrong now."

"I still say he's working himself way too hard…" Sonic said.

"Well, didn't you do the same when he was on the Black Hawk?" Amy reminded him. "He really cares about you, Sonic, just like you care about him."

"Yeah. He really does, doesn't he?" Sonic smiled, harboring a feeling of respect for his fox friend.

"Oh," Amy said suddenly. "I forgot to tell you, a doctor is coming later on. I called earlier."

"Why?"

Amy fixed him with a stare that looked more than a little confused.

"Sorry, I know… I guess that question just sort of came automatically. What time?"

"Mm, in about half an hour. I told him what happened… not the whole story, obviously, but that we think you're paralyzed." Amy explained.

"I don't know how much good it'll do if I am," Sonic told her glumly.

"There's always a chance!" She said. "Cheer up; it's not like you to be so… down." Inside, Amy was probably just as worried as Sonic himself was, but she felt that she had to be strong for him.

Apparently, it was having the desired effect.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, nothing's set in stone, I guess."

Amy chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sonic questioned pleasantly.

"Oh, it's just that… there's something I've been wanting to do for a while… and this might be my only chance, since you can't stop me…"

To her utter surprise, Sonic chuckled as well. "I can see where _this _is going…"

Confidence and certainty flowing through her, Amy leaned down so that she was inches away from Sonic's face. She could see each individual strand of fur, she was so close.

Then, ever so gently, she placed a kiss on his forehead. Sonic smiled at her as she sat back up.

_I'm glad I'm naturally pink, _Amy spoke to herself inwardly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I wish I'd have let you do that a long time ago," Sonic admitted.

Amy was as excited as she had ever felt in her life, and she felt that she couldn't contain it much longer. "Sonic… this is the kind of thing I've _dreamed _of you saying to me…" Her voice was shaky, every word getting more and more silent. "…A long time ago… well, we can make up for it," She suggested slowly.

Sonic just rolled his eyes, appearing relaxed. _I'm going to regret this tomorrow morning, aren't I? _

Brimming with confidence, Amy leaned over smoothly and swiftly, staring down at Sonic once again. Abruptly, she stopped, about three inches from his face, realizing that she was about to share a passionate kiss with her hero for the first time. "Oh… my God…."

"You know," Sonic started, voice barely audible, "I really, really hope the doctor doesn't come in right now…" Able to freely move his neck, Sonic lifted his head, bringing himself another inch closer to Amy. Amy moved in closer as well, placing herself on the edge of the couch. Their lips parted at the exact same time, and they moved closer, closer, closer.

And then their lips touched. It was like a trigger; as soon as it happened, Sonic closed his eyes with pleasure, and Amy wrapped her hands around his neck.

It was during this moment that Sonic realized just how much Amy meant to him; how encouraging her high-spirited personality was. _She's like the fuel that keeps me going… that's why I'm always so optimistic. I need her. And she's always looked up to me… why did I have a problem with her screaming my name, or embracing me in a hug before?_

That didn't matter, now… they were even, all was well, and Amy's dream had just come true. She didn't want it to end. _I know nothing good lasts forever… but still, the memory will live on. _Gradually, those words in her mind, Amy pulled away.

"Wow," They spoke in unison. There was a long, long silence before Amy stood up. Her gaze was still locked on those gleaming green eyes, though. Sonic was the first to speak.

"What just happened, does not leave this room," He stated clearly.

"Agreed," She said. "Our secret."

"This isn't something that I'm going to do every day, either," Sonic warned. Amy's expression changed ever so slightly. So this _wasn't _true love. "But that doesn't mean it won't happen again, and it doesn't mean things will be the way they were before. It's different, now. Trust me."

She nodded. "…Thanks."

The doorbell rang as she spoke. "Good timing," Sonic commented. Amy opened the door and welcomed the doctor inside.

He stopped, stock-still, when he saw Sonic lying on the couch. "Amy… you didn't tell me that this person was… Sonic."

"Uh, yeah… I didn't really want people to know that he was here, so I figured it was safe to wait. If people found out that Sonic was injured and is staying here for a while, let's just say I'd have more visitors than I wanted."

"I understand," he said reassuringly. "It's no problem… I'll make sure not to tell anyone."

"I appreciate it," Amy said, smiling a relieved smile.

"I'm Doctor Welmore, just so you know my name, Sonic," He said, walking over to the couch and sitting on the edge of the wooden table in front of it. "I feel honored to be here, quite frankly…" He couldn't help but add.

Sonic smirked. "Eh, I'm nothing special… just your average, speedy blue hedgehog!" He said. _Well, I used to be speedy, _he added as an afterthought.

"First of all, do you have feeling in your body, still?"

"Mm-hmm, I just can't move. But I can feel everything… including pain," he added as Doctor Welmore began pressing on his knees.

"Sorry," he said. "But Amy told me your legs were broken. Before any operations take place, we have to figure out the basic stuff… the type of fracture, how _many _fractures, if there's any internal bleeding, et cetera."

"Yeah… I guess I don't know how you pressing on them is going to worsen matters," Sonic commented, "I mean, they're already as bad as they can get." He spoke through gritted teeth, trying not to let on that he was in pain.

"Your legs are your only broken bones, correct?"

"As far as I know, yeah."

There was silence for a few minutes, then the doctor finally said, "We don't need an x-ray to be able to tell how bad the injuries are," He began, his tone carrying unwanted negativity, "It's clear that you'll never be able walk correctly again, even if the paralysis _is _only temporary."

Sonic shook his head. "Okay… that's all we needed to know," He said emotionlessly.

"How did you get paralyzed?" The doctor asked.

"Injection," Sonic answered simply.

"Well, in that case, it will probably wear off within a few weeks, or possibly a few months."

"So, I'll be able to move again?" Sonic inquired hopefully.

"It's very likely, but like I said, there's a slim chance that you'll be able walk like you did before, and even if you did, your running speed will never be what it was. You'll run like a normal person… I'm sorry to say that."

Sonic dropped his head slightly, staring at the floor in disbelief. The fact that he would never be the same again hit home for the first time. For a moment, Amy thought he was about to break down.

But of course, she should have known better.

"That doesn't mean I can't help people. Doesn't mean I can't beat Eggman. I will still fight like I always have. And with Tails and Amy by my side, nothing will stop me. As long as I can walk again eventually... Failure will not be an option!"

"There's the determination I was looking for," Amy whispered.

"That's all we needed to know, doc," Sonic said.

"We can only operate on your legs if the paralysis wears off. Like I said, I _think _it will. If there are any changes, if you find yourself able to move again, give the hospital a call. Needless to say, call immediately if you are ever in any extreme or unusual pain."

"Got it," Sonic agreed. "Thanks."

The doctor nodded. "This appointment is on me. I don't need to be paid three hundred dollars just for examining someone's legs for ten minutes."

"Heh, right," Sonic chuckled. "You're just saying that because I'm a national hero!"

The doctor rolled his eyes and then left.

"Sonic, I'm so sorry—"

"About what?" He asked suddenly, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "This is a _good _thing. I didn't expect I'd ever be able to walk again. It's good to know I have a chance!"

Amy smiled. If Sonic was happy, then she should be happy as well, right?

"If you don't mind, I'm going to get a few winks of sleep. That appointment made my legs sore all over again, and quite bluntly, I'm exhausted anyway. Funny how just laying here can make a person tired, eh?"

"You should get some rest," Amy concurred, not knowing what else to say. She grinned as Sonic closed his eyes. Then she headed towards her room, stopping once she got to the doorway and turning back around to blow her blue friend a quick kiss.

**Next chapter WILL be up soon. Promise. Please review :)**


	18. Chapter 17: Suspicions on the Mountain

**This chapter is longer than the last one, fortunately, since the last one was pretty short. I just had to have that SonAmy chapter in there, though. This chapter actually turned out longer and better than I expected it to be when I first started typing it, so I'm pretty content with it. Hope you all like it, as well:)**

CHAPTER 17: Suspicions on the Mountain

Tails was the first one awake the next morning, the reason being that he had had that strange nightmare again. Luckily, though, it was light out when he woke up, meaning he wouldn't have to worry about having it again. No, he was wide awake now.

"Fire's out…" He moaned, hugging himself to keep warm. "Got to get movin' soon… I wish I knew what time it was. Time to wake Knuckles up for one thing."

That said, he stood up (albeit rather clumsily) and sauntered over to where Knuckles was snoring loudly. Tails almost chuckled. He reached down and tapped Knuckles' shoulder, and the echidna reached up to swat at his hand.

"Knuckles, it's me! We really should get going now!" He jumped in the air and twirled his tails, hoping the sound would annoy Knuckles enough to get him up. No such luck. He folded his arms, not fully aware how silly the gesture looked in midair. Then and idea came to mind abruptly, as if a light bulb had just flashed on over his head. "Oh no, Knuckles! The _Master Emerald is gone_!"

"What… I'll get you!" The echidna hollered immediately, sitting bolt upright. He put his hands up in a semi-fighting stance, then dropped them as he realized what Tails had done. "Oh… well, you woke me up, I'll give you that much credit." He saw that Tails was having a hard time hiding his laughter.

"Haha, you know I'm not going to let you live that one down," Tails joked.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know, when's the last time you saw me wear a watch?" Tails asked smartly, mimicking Knuckles' very words yesterday. Knuckles gave him a 'very funny' look and rolled his eyes. "All right, I didn't wake you up so we could have a conversation. Let's get those last two Chaos Emeralds!" Tails immediately started heading for the mountains, Knuckles scrambling after him. "There's got to be another Chaos Emerald up there. The Chaos Emeralds we have won't stop glowing!"

"It's going to take a while to find it on that huge mountain, and Murphy's law says it'll be in the _last _place we look." Knuckles retorted.

"Aw, don't be so irritable!"

"Look who's talking. What's with your good mood all of a sudden?"

"Because, I'm just sick of wasting time feeling sorry for myself. It's ridiculous; even I'm aware of it."

"Damn right," Knuckles muttered under his breath. "Okay, let's get searching, then. It's starting to get steeper. I think we're actually on the mountain, now. We're gonna have to resort to climbing, soon."

"I can fly us up. It'll be a lot quicker, but I'll need to rest every once and a while."

"Looks like there aren't nearly as many trees up here; just the occasional pine tree. Hey, is that some sort of building at the top?" Knuckles pointed at the apparent building in question.

"Uh, where? I don't see it yet."

"Never mind, it's pretty hard to see. Maybe I'm just imagining it."

"Yeah, seems pretty weird for there to be a random building on the top of a mountain, almost like whoever lives in it wouldn't want to be noticed. But wait… I think I see it, too! You're not crazy, Knuckles!"

He snorted. "Pfft, thanks…"

"It's really big. The only person I know of who would have a house that size at a location like that would be…"

"Nah…!" They said simultaneously.

"Is it just me, or is it getting colder every step we take?" Tails complained as they continued further and further up the mountain.

"Yeah, steeper, too." Knuckles said. " I don't think we'll be able to walk much longer."

"Grab my hands; I'll fly us up for a bit!" Tails offered.

Knuckles didn't resist; he was still feeling tired, not being an early riser like Tails apparently was. The fox started to turn his tails, albeit with a bit of difficulty since the low temperatures were beginning to make them numb. He slowly lifted himself off the ground, then reached down and grabbed both of Knuckles' wrists. With an exceptional amount of effort (Knuckles weighed more than Sonic, and Tails wasn't used to it), he lifted the echidna off the ground and gradually gained altitude. Once he got going, though, it was easy as usual.

"Pretty nice sight, eh?" Knuckles said pleasantly as they looked down at where they were just standing from about fifty feet above.

"Yeah, very… white. Snow always looks cool on a mountain, though." A chilly gust of wind rushed by, the snow it carried temporarily fogging Tails' vision.

"If you get tired, go ahead and land," Knuckles told him, more out of concern for their safety than Tails' comfort.

"Oh, please," Tails began, rolling his eyes. "The only reason it's harder right now is because it's so cold. Do you know how much flying I had to do to get Sonic out of the Dome Base?" He grinned down at Knuckles. "I'll take a break in an hour or so… we'll see how far we get."

A few minutes passed in silence, bar the propeller-like sound of two spinning tails and the occasional groan from their owner.

"Hey, Tails?"

The fox noticed that his voice carried an unusual undertone, but he could tell exactly what it was. He hadn't heard it before. "Hm?" He asked curiously.

"I don't do this very often, so don't get used to it…" He began as a disclaimer, "…But, I, uh, guess I owe you an apology for before."

"What do you mean?" Tails asked, although he was pretty certain he already knew.

Knuckles sighed. Tails wasn't making this any easier. "When you first came to me for help, back on Angel Island. I guess I should have agreed…. Maybe Sonic wouldn't be this way if I had."

"D—Don't say that, Knuckles. You're turning into me!" Tails said.

"No, I haven't gone that far yet," Knuckles corrected him. "I just can't help feeling slightly responsible if…" He paused, hardly daring to bring up the blue hedgehog in front of Tails. "If… Sonic's problem doesn't get fixed."

"I appreciate that you're saying your sorry, but really, it's okay…"

"Tails, you know it's not okay. If you're still mad at all, I'll understand." Knuckles said quietly.

"Stop talking like that! It doesn't even sound like you. If nothing else, one of us has to be optimistic about this, right?"

"Nah. We both do, buddy. We both do."

"Yeah… my tails are gettin' a bit sore, but we have to keep going. Got to be strong."

"Tails, don't torture yourself. You're already doing a good job. There shouldn't be any shame involved in taking a short break. My hands are starting to get sweaty, too." Knuckles said.

"But I said I'd go for an hour before taking a break, and it's only been about twenty minutes."

Knuckles sighed with surrender. "Whatever, suit yourself."

Less than a minute passed in silence before a loud, low rumbling seemed to vibrate the air around them. "Uh!" Tails screamed, almost releasing Knuckles' hands.

"Hey, careful! It's just thunder, Tails!"

"I _hate _thunder!" No sooner had he spoken the words when a drop of rain hit his forehead, then another, then another. Lightening flashed in the sky, the sound of thunder following not even a second afterward.

"It's close," Knuckles determined. The dark clouds were moving in. Soon, they would be hanging directly above the mountain. "Tails, we really should land."

"Okay," Tails said, pouncing on the opportunity. He looked around rather frantically at the mountainside. It didn't take long before he spotted an exceptionally large plateau, being about twenty feet in diameter both ways. "I'm landing right there, on that flat terrain, okay?"

"It'll have to do. Looks like there's a little alcove behind it, too. That may be of some use."

Tails hurriedly made a beeline for the plateau and clumsily dropped Knuckles on it, landing next to him. "Why does there have to be a thunderstorm?" He moaned. "Why now? We were making progress! I despise storms…"

"It's not going to kill you, Tails… just some high winds and a bit of electricity. Do you know how many stormy nights I've had on Angel Island? And I still haven't been struck by lightening."

Tails faked a smile, trying to appear reassured, and then promptly turned tails and headed for the alcove. Knuckles rolled his eyes and turned away, looking down from the plateau to see how high they were. _Wow, everything looks higher from the upper point rather than the lower point. _

As Knuckles was pondering this, he heard a loud cracking sound and a yelp, followed by a splash, and then uncontrollable screaming. He turned around to see that Tails had broken through the icy footing of the plateau, and was now frantically struggling to get out of the water. "Tails!" He immediately jumped into the water without thinking (something he'd later think back on as 'pulling a Sonic'), and swam as quickly as he could over to Tails. "Don't panic, or you're going to drown!"

"Hurry… up… Knuckle…" He managed to say through violent coughs. Every time he reached for a chunk of ice that still appeared to be stable, it would break off. He had no way of getting out, and he could already feel himself going numb. Not knowing what else to do, Tails twirled his namesakes… but they were too drenched in water to maneuver properly, and of course, everything moves slower in water.

"I gotcha," Knuckles said as he took hold of Tails' arm with one hand. He dragged the fox through the water as he swam, then thrust him towards the alcove a few feet away, hoping against hope that it had thicker ice. Relief filled him as Tails landed with what looked like a painful thump and immediately started shivering. Knuckles pulled himself out of the freezing water and onto the ledge of the little alcove carefully. He was breathing heavily. "You… okay…?"

"N-n-no…" Tails stuttered. "Cold, t-too cold… I can't feel my b-body at all." It was clearly obvious that his voice was shaking.

Knuckles hadn't been in the water for nearly as long as Tails, and having always lived outside, was used to extreme temperatures, but even he was dangerously cold. "I… hate to say this to you, Tails, but… we have to t-turn back… we could both have hypothermia."

"N-no… came too far to turn around now. It's been days since we first started searching for the last Chaos Emeralds… it's gonna take more days to get back to this point again. I d-don't… want Sonic to suffer…"

"Neither do I, Tails… but if we both die up here, no one's going to be able to help him. We have to think of what's best overall."

Tails shook his head anxiously. "Won't die… I'm g-gonna keep going! I…" refuse to fail!"

"Tails, come on, don't be ridiculous!" Knuckles said.

"I don't c-care if you think I'm being ridiculous. _I refuse to fail!_" He repeated firmly. "Even if you don't."

"I'm not going to leave you here to die. I guess I don't have a choice. But we are not leaving until the storm passes, you hear?"

"Well, d-duh!" The frustration that Tails' voice held, even when he was so cold, was almost amusing to Knuckles. "Knuckles, aren't you cold at all?"

"I've been in situations like this before, kiddo. I'm used to it. It doesn't look like you are, though." Knuckles wondered if the idea that Tails looked pale, even through his yellow-orange fur, seemed silly… but he could swear that Tails looked pale.

"Still reeeeaaly c-cold, Knux," Tails said. "And tired."

Knuckles was well aware of a way to warm Tails up, but he was reluctant to resort to it. Tails, though, seemed to read his mind.

"When I was really little, when I first met Sonic," Tails said, trying hard not to stumble on his words, "…He told me, on a cold night, that body heat warms you up more than anything. So whenever there was a really cold night, or whenever I shivered, he would lay right next to me rub my shoulder to warm me up. I know you probably feel weird about it, but, d'you think…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm picking up what you're laying down. Just… try and sleep, okay?" Knuckles said. After a nod of agreement from Tails, the echidna awkwardly laid down next to the fox inside the miniature cave and moved in close. Somewhat uncomfortably, he wrapped an arm around Tails, rolling his eyes as he did so. Admittedly, though, he was feeling a little warmer, too.

Although it was only a little after noon when the two of them had fallen asleep, they were out like a light for a full twenty hours before waking up the next morning. Once again, Tails was the first to wake up, and when he did he felt very much relieved to find that his fur was dry and he wasn't feeling too cold anymore. He slipped out from underneath Knuckles' arm, which apparently hadn't moved since yesterday, and stretched, moaning with pleasure. Knuckles had been very nice to him yesterday, doing what he did (and Tails was fully conscious that he wasn't comfortable with it), so the fox decided to wait patiently for the echidna to wake up.

Thankfully, that wasn't too much longer. Tails turned around when he heard Knuckles stir. "You awake?" He whispered.

"Uh…mm-hmm, yeah," He replied lazily. He yawned and sat up. "G'morning."

"I figured I'd let you sleep this time," Tails said, shrugging.

"Thanks… I guess we should get going, eh? Make sure you still got those Chaos Emeralds."

"Yep, they're tucked in my left tail, as usual." Tails took them out to show Knuckles, and they both beamed when they saw it.

"I'll be darned," Knuckles said. "Looks like we're not too far from our sixth Chaos Emerald!"

"Wow, I guess I haven't checked on these things in a while. I hope we didn't pass it."

"Well, now that we know one more is on the mountain, you can go ahead and fly while I climb and look for it." Knuckles told him.

"M'kay!" Tails agreed. They both exited the cave; Knuckles glided over the water while Tails flew, and then the echidna latched on to a sturdy looking wall and began to climb. Spinning his tails faster, Tails ascended after him. A few yards up the mountain later, the glow of the Emeralds got even brighter, to the point where they were almost white-looking.

"We've got it, Tails! It's right at my fingertips! I've just got to dig a little…" Knuckles pounded into the icy rock with his fist until it cracked, then began clawing at it. Soon enough, he could see the Emerald, and he gave the rock one last punch. The Emerald fell out, and Tails flew below Knuckles to catch it.

"Nice job, Knuckles! I think we're pretty close to another one, too, because all of them are still glowing!"

"You know," Knuckles began unsurely, "I think that building at the top, there… may have an important role in all this, too." He said.

"You think it's Eggman again?"

"I don't know who else would have a Chaos Emerald up there. Let's hurry up… we don't know what he's planning to do with it." Knuckles continued to climb. He was moving swiftly, but not frantically. "It's best to get there as soon as we can."

Tails nodded and flew after him.

**Two more chapters and an epilogue to go… please leave a review if you have a minute!**


	19. Chapter 18: The Last Chaos Emerald

**Yes, I'm still alive. I'm aware that it's been well over a month since my last update – I apologize for that. There are two more chapters (one being an epilogue) to go after this one before the story is over, and I'm working on 19 right now (yes, at this very moment). There has been a reason for the ridiculously slow updates – I'll explain that later. Anyway, I think this chapter was one of my best, and it's pretty long, too – hopefully that sort of makes up for the length I let this story go w/o an update. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 18: The Last Chaos Emerald

Knuckles and Tails finished their climb (and flight, respectively) to the uppermost peak of the mountain, where a black building was built into the side of the mountain. Sure enough, they hadn't been hallucinating… and it was undoubtedly owned by Eggman. It didn't take much more than a glance at the small logo on the bottom of it to see that.

"Let's find a way in there!" Tails said, turning in mid-air to face Knuckles, who was clinging with his fists to the rock below the apparent entrance.

"How do you suppose we do that?" Knuckles asked impatiently. "Even I can't break through something like this," He said, slamming his left fist on the solid steel a few times in order to prove that.

"You're barely even punching!"

Knuckles sighed and drew his fist back and, putting a fair amount of effort behind it, slammed it into the metal again.

Not even a dent.

"See what I mean, Tails? It's too easy. I doubt he'd make something like this if he thought we could break through it."

"Hm…." Tails put one hand on his chin, deep in thought. He maneuvered around Knuckles and to the center of the area, where the two metal doors met. Jamming his fingers firmly between them, he pulled his arms in opposite directions with all his strength, biting his lip.

"If I can't get it, what makes you think you're going to have any better luck?" Knuckles asked. It was an honest question; quite frankly, Knuckles couldn't see the point in what Tails was doing.

While he pondered this, he heard Tails groan one last time, then the deafening sound of screeching metal discomforted both their ears as the doors slid away from each other. Knuckles cocked his head in confusion and utter amazement. Tails turned to face him, hands on his hips as he landed where the doors had been a few seconds ago.

"Ha! You were saying?" The fox said with a grin.

"How did _that _happen?" Knuckles countered.

"_I _did it, you idiots," Came a voice that was all too familiar – maybe even expected – but surprising, nonetheless.

Both Tails and Knuckles turned to face the overweight doctor as he descended towards them in his hovercraft, also seeing what the base looked like for the first time. Being the inside of a mountain, it was all grey and black rock – and not much more than that. "See, I expected that someone would find this new base eventually. I haven't underestimated you this time," Eggman said with an air of certainty that made Tails feel slightly unnerved.

"What's that s'pposed to mean?" He said, attempting to disguise his undeniable fear with courage. Knuckles shot him a look.

"Next time you want to ask him something," Knuckles whispered to him, "don't."

Tails looked as if he was about to make a remark, but anything he might have said was lost in the loud 'CRASH' that filled the room, and the next thing they saw was a robot that was only a few yards short of the height of the entire base.

"…It's _not _even a base," Knuckles said. "It's an _arena. _He was _waiting _for us to show up, Tails!" He said, enraged. Then he paused and took a deep breath, and, surprisingly, forced a smile. "Tsk, tsk… Eggman, Eggman, Eggman. When are you going to learn not to challenge people like me? No matter how much stronger your machines get, you should know that they will never be able to match my power."

It was Tails' turn to shoot looks, as he fixed Knuckles with a glare. "Why are you challenging him?" He hissed. The fox turned back to face the robot, which hadn't moved since it appeared. If robots could be described as muscular, that would be the right word for this one. It was black in color, with the extremities being a dark green, and it was no less than 100 feet tall. It could nearly reach the top of the arena.

"Because," Knuckles said, beginning to answer. "We're not going to get out of here until we defeat it anyway." He gestured to the large door in which they had entered, which had automatically closed following their entrance. Tails gasped. So _that's _the real reason why the metal was so incredibly thick; it's main purpose was to keep them trapped. "We may as well show Eggman we're ready. Now, let's get this over with so we can get that last Emerald – if it is indeed here."

Eggman, overhearing their brief conversation, said, "Of course it is. But you don't think I'd just have it laying around, now, do you? That would be too easy."

"It's in the robot," Tails whispered to Knuckles, who nodded.

"Bring it," the echidna said simply.

"Oh, you are going to regret that," Eggman said, grinning sadistically. He looked over at his giant creation. "Isn't that right, X-001?"

"Hmph! I've heard that one before," Tails butted in, a look of grim determination in his shining blue eyes. He knew that they couldn't use the six Emeralds they already had, because they needed every bit of energy they could get from the gems if they were going to play any role in healing Sonic, but that was okay… he didn't need them.

"For Sonic," Tails stated. This was it. This was the last Chaos Emerald they had to get. _And if there's anything out there that's going to heal Sonic, it's these seven miracle workers. Maybe Eggman knows our strengths and our weaknesses, but he forgot to add one thing to his calculations – no one messes with my best friend and gets away with it! _

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sonic sighed. The look in his eyes was that of a free soul who'd been chained to a cement floor by all four limbs, which wasn't entirely dissimilar from the situation he was in.

"Y' think Tails is okay out there?" Amy asked suddenly.

"What?" Sonic said tiredly. He hadn't even been aware that she had come in until now. "Sure. 'Course he is. I think he's proved that to us by now, don't you?"

"Yeah. I mean, I have faith in him and all, but things can happen. What if Eggman's still at his neck, too?"

Sonic would have shrugged. "There's not much we can do about it. I think he'll be okay, though. Whatever trouble he may be getting himself into right now can't possibly be any worse than having to haul me through a giant base full of obstacles – including all the injuries he had."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"AHHHHHHH—UH!!" Tails cried as a large fist send him flying through the air and straight into the back wall. There was the unpleasant sound of cracking rock, then he fell to the ground and landed on his front. Blood was visible even through his fur, most noticeably on the back of his head and shoulder blades. "Knuckles, I don't think this can get much worse!" He cried, pushing himself to his feet awkwardly.

Eggman's malicious laugh echoed throughout the room constantly, and he lowered his hovercraft down to Tails' height. "X-001 isn't your average robot, Tails. He's the first in my new series, and may I add that he is also the _least _stable. And you _still _can't even harm him!"

"I hate you," Tails said bitterly. Eggman just laughed more.

"TAILS! Get your butt over here and distract this guy!" Knuckles snapped. He was on the ground, with both hands pushing against one of Robot X's giant fists, struggling not to get crushed. Unfortunately, though, the robot appeared to be in the dominant position.

"Get out of my _way_!" Tails said, taking to the air and shoving Eggman's machine aside frenetically as he whizzed by. "Hang in there, Knux!" Terrified though he was, the fox flew directly in front of the robot's face, mere yards away from those glowing green eyes. "Right here, buddy! C'mon, bring it!" He shouted, attempting not to show how intimidated he felt. Once he got its attention, he flew to the right, where Knuckles was still struggling against the robot's forceful attempt to crush him against the ground. "Over here!"

Instead of taking its attention of Knuckles as Tails had hoped, X-001 fired two green lasers out of both eyes – and both of them hit Tails right in the center of the chest, knocking him backwards again. Hot agony screamed in his lungs as he struggled to inhale oxygen. He attempted frantically to twirl his tails, but he couldn't muster up enough energy to even do that. He hit the ground hard and skidded backwards, scraping up his back to the point where there wasn't much fur left.

But he didn't get back up this time.

"_TAILS!!_" Knuckles shouted, enraged. "You idiot!" He spat at the robot. Then, a sudden rush of adrenaline filled his system and he pushed upward with all his strength – if he couldn't get out of this now, they would both die within a matter of minutes. His muscles were protesting… this was too much for his body to handle. But he didn't let up, not one bit. An agonized groan escaped his throat as he gave one last heave, thrusting the robot's cruel fist back towards it with more strength than he ever knew he had.

It took a split second for him to realize he was free, then the echidna rolled to his left twice in case Robot X tried any tricks before standing up straight and racing over to Tails while the robot recovered from the sudden action. "Tails! _Tails!_ Get up, bud! C'mon, stay with me! Hang in there!" Knuckles yelled, panicking for the first time in a long time. Tails' eyes were just barely open.

"Knuckles, he hurt me real bad," the fox said hoarsely.

Relieved to hear that Tails was in good enough condition to talk, Knuckles let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "Get up, kid… I know it hurts but we have to keep fighting!"

"Knuckles, look out!" Tails shouted, eyes wide. Fighting the pain, he grabbed Knuckles under the arms and quickly took to the air as X-001's foot slammed on the ground where they had been two seconds ago. Then he dropped Knuckles and collapsed again, unable to continue his flight.

"Tails, damn it!" Knuckles said, scrambling over to him and shaking him by the shoulders. "I'm hurting, too, but if you give up now then you're going to _die! _And what about Sonic?"

"I'm _sorry_!" Tails shouted. "It _hurts! _I can't help it!" He said, holding back a lump in his throat. He stared at Knuckles blankly for a moment, hoping for some form of comfort – then ditched the idea as he saw X-001 stomping towards them again. Before Tails had a chance to warn Knuckles, it reached down to grip Knuckles in one giant fist and lifted him off the ground, all in one swift movement.

"Oh, no! Knuckles! You put him down now!" Tails shouted. He watched helplessly as the robot slammed his friend into the rock wall with devastating impact. "_Now!_" He repeated, tears filling his eyes. "Please don't kill him!" Tails struggled with everything he had to stand up, but he couldn't; even if he had no injuries, he was too petrified by the sight of Knuckles being mercilessly and repeatedly beaten to do anything at all but watch in horror.

"I need to stand up…" Tails told himself desperately. He heard the low rumble of Eggman's hovercraft behind him. "YOU!" He shouted before Eggman had a chance to speak one word. "You let Knuckles go and deactivate that robot RIGHT NOW!" His voice was so loud that even X-001 paused to look at him. For a brief moment, there was silence. Then…

"Tails, get out, NOW!" It was Knuckles. There was blood dripping from his forehead and one eye was swollen shut, but he was conscious. "Get OUT! You can't beat him! _I _can't beat him! If you don't save yourself then there's no way that last Chaos Emerald will ever make it to Sonic's hands!"

Tails fixed him with a blank stare, shaking his head in disbelief. "What about you?"

"Never mind that – you have to find a way to get out, Tails!"

The terrible knowledge that Knuckles was right hit Tails like a bullet. "But… what about you?" He repeated, clearly heartbroken. "Will you get out?"

"I don't know, but just—"

SLAM! The echidna was cut off as X-001 thrust him at the ground. He was down for the count upon impact.

Tails gulped, terrified for his own sake and even more for Knuckles. "C'mon… come on!" He shouted at the robot. His legs still wouldn't let him stand, but he was able to ascend into the air with his namesakes, as they were not harmed. As fast as he could, Tails flew directly in front of the arena's doors and waited, trying to provoke an attack. If he could just get the robot to break down these doors…

"Attack me already!!" Tails shrieked, growing impatient. And the requested attack came as lasers escaped the robot's eyes again. As with last time, they were too fast to be dodged, and the first one blasted him in the face while the other made contact with the doors, blowing them to pieces. The impact of the first laser sent Tails falling out of the newly formed opening, and he descended through the air, face burning and vision blurring.

"Knuckles…" He whispered to himself. He could no longer see how close the ground was; his vision was failing him due to the laser. Nonetheless, though, he was still conscious – and so he began weakly spinning his tails, hoping to at least slow his fall.

Fortunately, he felt himself land in a heap of snow before closing his eyes and passing out, more out of will than anything. His fur would protect him from the cold. He could have stayed awake if he tried, but he'd never make it back to the city alive in this condition. At the very least, he needed rest.

Several hours later, Tails awoke in the same position, muscles sore and chest still screaming from the lasers. He noticed that his breathing was unusually shallow and made a mental note to seek help as soon as he made it back. He pushed against the ground and sat up carefully, then found himself with enough restored strength to stand again. "Knuckles," he whispered to himself. Was he okay up there? Was he still fighting the robot? Perhaps he managed to escape and was tending to his wounds right now?

Or maybe – Tails gulped - maybe he was dead. Tails shook his head vigorously at the thought. Knuckles wouldn't die like that; he was too strong! He _knew _it wasn't possible!

Or… maybe that's just what he wanted himself to believe. He was in denial and he knew it – Knuckles could very well be dead up there.

_I didn't even get the Chaos Emerald,_ Tails thought desperately. _I couldn't save Knuckles, and after coming this far, I couldn't even save Sonic. It was a mistake to think I could… a mistake to be pretend I could be as confident as Sonic – I'm not strong enough. I'm just a sidekick._

The golden-furred fox's eyes became wet as he accepted these facts with morose regret. "We're all just going to have to get used to a new way of life, I guess," he spoke aloud to himself. "I did all I could… and I guess it just wasn't enough. I think… I think it's time to go home now."

**Of course, comments, questions, and criticism are welcomed and appreciated – and thanks for sticking with the story even though I'm taking so long. It won't take forever anymore – seriously. ;) **


	20. Chapter 19: Heroes Never Die

**This is the last official chapter. Chapter 20, I've decided, is going to be the epilogue, and it serves the single purpose of ending everything smoothly. Just about everything that matters, though, will be summed up and concluded right here and now.**

CHAPTER 19: Heroes Never Die

Tails sighed as he approached the house of Amy Rose. He walked up the steps and stared at the door blankly, not wanting to knock. He didn't want to see their disappointment, even if it wasn't directed totally at him. He didn't want to see their sadness that all Tails had set out to do had ended in failure. So he stood there, staring blankly at the closed door in front of him.

He thought to himself what the worst possible scenarios could be.

One was that Sonic and Amy would both be silent and just stare at him.

Another was that Amy would start yelling at him, which Tails thought very likely because of her defensive nature.

Another was that Sonic wouldn't even want him around any more.

None of these were a big deal, though – Tails' biggest fear was if Sonic would ever accept the fact that he won't be able to run again for a long, long time.

Tails peeked over to the left, trying to see inside the window. The lights were off in the living room, so he had to squint in order to get even

* * *

a semi-clear view. Then he spotted Sonic on the far couch. He gasped and jerked away as if he'd been burnt, but not quickly enough; Sonic had seen him. He could hear him faintly; he was calling for Amy to answer the door.

"Oh, man!" Tails slammed his head against the door. He wanted so badly to run, to pretend he had never been there.

"Tails!" Amy said excitedly as she opened the door. "You're okay!" She embraced him in a quick hug and then pulled him into the house. It was only when she turned to face him again that she noticed his injuries. "Oh, my God…" She breathed, staring at the singed fur on his chest and his bruised knees. "T-Turn around," She said nervously.

"Amy, I'm fine, really—" He started, but Amy took him by the shoulders and turned him around manually before he had a chance to resist.

She brought a hand to her mouth upon seeing his back – any fur that was left was soaked in blood. The obvious scars-to-be looked infected. Even Sonic let out a low whistle. "You need to get that fixed, bud," He said solemnly.

Upon hearing his best friend's voice, Tails forgot his injuries for the time being and turned back around to run over to the couch. He skidded to his knees in front of it and gripped Sonic's hand in his own, like a slave begging for mercy. "Sonic, I…" He said, tears flowing like a river down his cheeks. He dropped the six Chaos Emeralds he had on the floor next to him. "I found out where the last Emerald was when me and Knuckles went in Eggman's base, but… but… Knuckles…"

"It's okay, buddy," Sonic murmured. "Go on."

Tails couldn't. He leaned his head on Sonic's arm and bawled – he could hold it back no longer.

"Oh, man… Tails…" Sonic whispered sympathetically. Amy still had her hands over her mouth, eyes flooding with tears.

"I'm really sorry, Sonic," Tails said shakily. "You don't know how bad I feel 'bout all this…"

"Tails… you did save my life," Sonic reminded him. "So, you couldn't get the last Emerald. We're not going to get mad at you for that. You tried, and that's more I asked of you in the first place."

"But… Knuckles… he is…"

"Do you know for sure if he's actually dead?" Sonic asked.

"The robot beat him unconscious before I escaped," Tails said between hiccups. "Don't know how he could have gotten out…"

"Don't give up hope – Knuckles has surprised us before," Sonic told him.

"You're just saying that… please don't increase my hopes just for them to be crushed again in the end, Sonic—I can't even stand this as it is!"

Sonic understood. He watched Tails sob for a few minutes and only spoke again when he quieted. "You should go clean up, Tails."

Tails looked up at him, eyes red and puffy, before nodding twice and pushing himself up. Even that looked like quite a task. He turned and headed down the hallway, limping towards the bathroom.

"Wait, Tails, let me help!" Amy said before chasing after him.

"It's okay Amy… I got it," Tails called back to her.

"Nonsense – it'll go by quicker if I help, that way you can get some sleep – I mean, if you want," Amy suggested.

Tails shot her a heartbreaking look. "I'll never be able to sleep again."

It was some two hours later before they finished tending to the fox's wounds. Band-aids spotted his legs all over, a bandage was wrapped twice around his forehead, and he held an ice pack to his chest where the most damage had been done. His back had stopped bleeding and was already beginning to scab; the most he could do for that was put disinfecting ointment on the deeper gashes.

Trying to keep things on the bright side, Amy asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," Tails lied simply. The inconvenient truth was, nothing could make him feel better right now. Even if the physical pain was to be taken away, this could have been the one day he wouldn't have cared if someone were to come along and kill him.

Amy stepped back and stared at Tails. The sight of a normally happy and healthy child looking so depressed and hurt broke her heart. Inwardly, she wanted to say something comforting to Tails, but she didn't want to take the chance of him breaking down again. "Tails, Sonic isn't mad at you," she finally forced herself to say.

"So he says," he replied impassively.

"But he's really not! Sonic wouldn't lie to you!"

"Either way, I'm mad at myself."

"Tails, just try and cheer up, okay?"

"Maybe. Look, gimme some time alone," He said. Without another word, he turned around and headed into a spare room, slamming the door behind him and collapsing on the bed. Physical and emotional pain notwithstanding, it felt wonderful to be on actual furniture again. It had been so long.

"Why Sonic?" Tails asked aloud. The lack of emotion in his voice covered up his sadness. "He doesn't deserve this. All he ever does is try to help people. Why Knuckles? He died to save me and Sonic. Why is it always the most wonderful people that suffer? And to think… they both suffered for me. I don't even deserve to lay here relaxing right now. Maybe all this wasn't my fault, but still – I'm responsible for most of it, and yet I'm the only one who hasn't suffered anything permanent. Maybe I should make myself suffer something permanent. 'Least then I won't have to feel guilty."

Tails stuffed his face into the pillow and promptly let out a scream which quickly turned into a cry of grief. He remained in his position as if he wanted to stay there forever.

It was a long time before he was asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He okay?" Sonic asked as Amy came back into the living room.

"I don't know," Amy replied. "He's really bummed. I wish there was something we could do or say to make him feel better, but by now he knows that just about anything we say is false comfort."

"He just needs some time. He can torture himself mentally pretty hard, but he's not one to dwell on the past forever." Sonic assured her.

"Aside from him, are _you _doing okay?" Amy asked, looking at her blue friend with sad eyes.

"Sure. I do wish I knew if I'm ever going to run again, but I can wait. I'll get used to it."

Amy wasn't convinced. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Nah, don't you worry about me, Amy. I just said I'll be—"

Sonic was interrupted by the sound of a ringing doorbell. They both tensed, hundreds of 'what ifs' going through both minds.

"I guess I should get that," Amy said with a forced chuckle. She walked forward and placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it cautiously, then pulled it open a few inches and peered through the crack. Her eyes widened.

"Doctor Welmore?" Amy asked with an undertone that sounded more than a little surprised. "What are you doing here? How'd you know Tails needed help?"

"I didn't know until you told me," He admitted.

"Then why—"

"Someone came to my office for medical attention about an hour ago. After I helped him out, he asked me if I knew where Sonic the hedgehog might be. He said he knew him. I remembered that you were letting Sonic stay here, so we came on over," The doctor explained. "Sonic _is_ still here, right?"

"Of course he is," Amy said, opening the door all the way. "But who—"

"Mind if I drop in?" A voice interrupted. The person whom Doctor Welmore was speaking of walked into view, revealing himself as none other than the red echidna they all knew so well.

"Kn—Knuckles?" Amy breathed. She stared at him as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"What, do I have something stuck in my teeth?" He asked, returning her confused stare. He stepped forward into the house and waved at Sonic as if he'd seen him just yesterday.

"But Tails said you were—"

"Dead, right?" Knuckles finished.

Amy nodded.

The echidna grinned and shook his head. "I'm not that weak," he said simply.

"Tails said you went unconscious," Sonic pointed out.

"Did he? I was never unconscious. I was hurting, but I was awake." Sonic opened his mouth to question again, but Knuckles held up a hand. "As far as defeating the robot… well, turns out Egghead had this handy self-destruct switch on his hovercraft. I noticed it when he lowered himself down to mock me again. I could see the control panel, so I took a dive for it and pressed all the random buttons I could – it was pure luck that one of them was the right one to destroy that bot. Since Eggman was in his hovercraft, though, he was able to fly up and catch the Chaos Emerald before I could."

Any trace of hope on Sonic's face died as those words reached his ears.

"What? I never said I didn't get it back." Knuckles grinned and revealed the Emerald, tossing it up and down in his right hand.

"You're a lifesaver, Knux," Sonic said, smirking for the first time since Tails had brought him to Amy's house.

"Where are the other six?"

"Right here," Sonic said, nodding at the floor. "You know how to get these things to heal, right?"

"Of course – I'm the Master Emerald Guardian, I'd think I should. But Tails was right, healing powers will only work for situations like this if you have all seven. It's a good thing we managed to get this last one."

"So, what do I have to do, anything?" Sonic questioned.

"How _could_ you do anything?" Knuckles asked, eyeing Sonic's broken legs.

"Heh, good point."

"All you have to do is let the Emeralds fix your injuries for you," Knuckles said. "That may not necessarily be as easy as it sounds, depending on how bad the injuries are. They heal based on the way you got them." Knuckles explained.

"So you're saying that it's going to be that process in reverse? Like, the bones'll just go back together and stuff?"

"I guess you could put it like that," Knuckles said. "Amy, hand me the other six, will ya?"

"Mm-hmm, got it," Amy said, gathering up the Emeralds in her arms and bringing them over to Knuckles. He held out his large hands and she handed them over.

"You ready?" Knuckles asked, nodding towards Sonic.

"Of course. I've been ready for this since the moment I passed out in Eggman's base!" Sonic grinned, excitement and eagerness shining in his emerald eyes. He was going to run again.

Knuckles closed his eyes and lifted the seven Chaos Emeralds above his head. Slowly, they ascended upward, their warm glow illuminating the entire room. "The servers are the seven Chaos; Chaos is power, enriched by the heart…"

He went on with a request to heal Sonic, then all seven Chaos Emeralds descended towards the deep blue hedgehog. Sonic smiled and closed his shining jade eyes, allowing the Emeralds to lift him off the couch and into the air. For nearly half a minute, he remained there while the Emeralds orbited around him slowly, coming closer and closer to him.

_All right._

Finally, he felt a strange pressure on his legs as his injuries gradually went through the healing process. It hurt – feeling bones and torn ligaments move themselves back into place wasn't exactly pleasant – but he made an effort to ignore the pain.

"Sonic, concentrate," came Knuckles' voice. Although Sonic could hear it only faintly, it had an encouraging nature that Knuckles had never used towards him before. "You're starting to fall. If you let it fail, you'll have to wait weeks for the Emeralds' powers to restore. Concentrate."

Sonic absentmindedly held up one arm and made the thumbs-up sign to Knuckles, letting him know he heard.

_Did I just move?_

Now fully aware that this was _actually working, _Sonic inwardly willed the Chaos Emeralds to continue. He felt several snaps and cracks, but made no sign whatsoever that he was hurting, and certainly no sign of giving up.

_I hope this doesn't go on too much longer. Got to hang in there, though – I want to be on my feet again today._

It was less than ten seconds later when the pain stopped. All were silent, anxiously waiting to see if it had worked. Through his eyelids, Sonic could tell that the glow of the Emeralds was dimming ever so gradually. There seemed to be tension in the atmosphere as he slowly descended – no one knew if Sonic was going to be able to move again.

Unbeknownst to everyone except Knuckles, it wasn't over yet…

_Am I… am I free again?_

There was a loud '_BANG!_' and sharp agony overwhelmed his body like a thousand needles, then the room flashed white for an instant... but it lasted less than a second.

_What in the world…_

Sonic opened his eyes, now a flaming red, to look at Knuckles, who had a satisfied grin on his face; then at Amy, who was beaming from ear to ear. Then he looked down at himself.

_I'm healed… I'm able to move… I'm invincible… I am… _

_Super Sonic…_

Super Sonic nodded at the pair of them. "Follow me," he spoke, voice low and quiet. He turned his back towards them and drifted to the room in which Tails was sound asleep. Quietly, carefully, he opened the door and glided forward to his bed.

Tails was indeed sleeping, curled up on his side. For the first time, the hedgehog took a moment to imagine himself in Tails' shoes.

It wasn't pleasant.

_He is only a kid, after all. A very cool kid who can save lives and fight bad guys – but still a kid. _

Only then did Sonic realize how much Tails cared, and how hard he really tried to follow in his tracks – literally and figuratively. The hedgehog felt flattered in spite of himself as he watched Tails' ribs rise and fall steadily. He wondered how long it had been since Tails had slept this well and shook his head at the thought. Certainly longer than it should have been… Tails had given far more than he should have. The fox had dealt with more trouble over the past few months than he himself probably had.

_He has always tried to impress me and please me, _Sonic thought inwardly. _He doesn't know that he has long since earned my respect. What he did for me was far beyond anything anyone has ever done for me._

Amy and Knuckles were silent as Sonic hovered over the fox. They knew he was deep in thought. Finally, he reached down and rested a hand on Tails' shoulder.

"Hey, Tails," Sonic spoke gently, shaking his shoulder.

Tails groaned, but didn't open his eyes. "Whassup Sonic?" He replied.

Sonic chuckled. The young fox was barely even awake. The hedgehog went around to the other side of the room, then said, "Open your eyes."

Realization sparked in the young fox's eyes… Sonic had _moved_! He sounded as if he was in a different spot, now. His eyes shot open at the mere possibility.

Lo and behold, there he was.

A few yards away from him, Super Sonic was floating in the air, hands on his hips, with the slightest hint of a smile on his face. Tails was on his feet in just over a second. He fixed his best friend with a stare of disbelief, eyes wide, hardly daring to move.

"You really are a hero, you know," the golden hedgehog said.

"Sonic…"

Tails took a single step forward and paused momentarily, then raced toward his hero at full speed, even spinning his namesakes for an extra boost. He threw himself at Sonic and slammed into him, gripping him in a hug that took him to the ground, even in his Super form. "How'd it happen? You're okay again!"

Approaching footsteps were heard. "What, you didn't seriously think I wouldn't make it, did you?" Knuckles said, making it known to Tails that he was in the room.

"Knuckles!" Tails shouted. He stood up and ran over to him. "You brought the last Chaos Emerald!!" He hugged Knuckles briefly, then put his hands on the echidna's shoulders and looked straight at him. "Thank you, Knux," he said.

"Anytime," he replied.

"Sonic, after all this time, you're actually _standing _in front of me! I can't believe I actually did it!"

"You sure did, pal. I knew you could."

Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic's neck again and squeezed. Sonic gripped Tails in a tight hug as well, patting his back. Amy watched with a smile; Knuckles rolled his eyes pleasantly.

"That Eggman can't beat us!" They heard Tails say. The two friends sat back down on the bed next to each other.

"Nope, and he never will, Tails!" Sonic assured him with a smile. "And… thanks bro, I owe you one!"

**Originally, when I completed this chapter, it was pretty short, so I promised myself that I'd make it at least 3000 words before I put it up. I couldn't have a short 'final' chapter. Also, I'd like to thank the people who constantly reviewed my story for sticking with it even though I was taking so long. People who haven't reviewed yet, there's not a better time than right now :) Stay tuned for the epilogue – it will be up some time next week.**

**Oh yeah, and I've been forgetting to mention - a few people have said my story is somewhat similar to JudasFm's Secrets of the Emeralds. After I finished reading it, I could see why... but I just want to let you know that I have not copied her work, even though there appears to be a few similarities. I have had almost all of the chapters to this story lined up since the end of Capture the Fox, and at that time, I hadn't read any of JudasFm's works aside from Rising Star. I just wanted to make that clear. ;)**


	21. Chapter 20: Epilogue

**Nothing much to say, so here's the epilogue.**

CHAPTER 20: Epilogue

"Well, guys, you know I need to get back to Angel Island." Knuckles told Sonic and Tails, who were following him to the front door. "Oh, and… Tails?"

"Right," he replied, handing over the Master Emerald shard that he had had for so long. "Now the Master Emerald will be normal again, right?"

Knuckles nodded.

"Thanks for helpin' me," Tails said.

"It's no big deal – but it's not going to happen every day." The echidna added.

"I know, I know," Tails said. "I'm glad today was one of those days, though."

"Thanks, Knuckster," Sonic said, holding out his right hand.

"I helped this kid save your life, and you still can't call me by my actual name?" Knuckles asked, pretending to sound irritated. He reached out and shook Sonic's hand firmly. Then, as a sign of gratitude, Sonic embraced him quickly – and Knuckles, astonishingly, didn't cringe or refuse, but returned it. "_This _is not going to happen every day, either," he made clear.

With a quick wave of his hand, Knuckles turned and took a running start to the edge of the porch before jumping into the air. He glided gracefully with the wind. Sonic and Tails watched him until he appeared as nothing more than a red speck staining the sky.

"So, Sonic," Tails began, breaking the silence. "Do you think you're going to be able to run as fast as before?"

"Of course. It may take a while – after all, I've been off my feet for weeks – but I'll be back up to par before you know it." Sonic replied.

Tails smiled and stared off into the distance. Just earlier today, he and Knuckles had been fighting for their lives – now he was standing outside next to his best friend peacefully. It certainly was an odd transition, but wonderful all the same.

"The sun is setting," Tails stated. "What now?"

Sonic chuckled. "Well, I certainly don't want to sit around doing nothing," he said, turning and looking at the house behind him like it was his enemy. "I know."

"Hm?"

"What d'you say we go kick some egg?"

Tails chuckled. "If he's still where he was this morning, then the mountain is that way!" He said, smiling determinedly.

"Lead the way!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"KNUCKLES! TAILS! I'll kill you bastards if it's the last thing I ever do! Or I'll die trying!" Eggman hollered to the air around him. This was around the tenth time he had shouted something of that sort. He had spent the rest of the day trying to figure out where his wonderful plan went wrong.

Then he realized something – he still had a plan B. "Oh, yes… I must get back to the Dome Base as soon as I can. Unless I'm incorrect, which is highly improbable, I still have my latest creation waiting to be used." _Well, unfortunately, it has already been used once when it disobeyed me by going to shatter the Master Emerald several weeks ago – but that will not happen again._ "Be ready Tails… with Sonic disabled, you're still an easy target. You were just lucky last time."

Eggman discontinued his egotistical speech upon hearing the familiar sound of steady, fast rotations.

The sound of spinning tails.

_Why in the WORLD is HE back here!?_

The golden furred fox came into view slowly. He appeared to be struggling to keep his flight, and Eggman wondered why. Then he saw the reason – and it was holding onto Tails' feet. It was blue. It was grinning. It was—

"_SOOONNNNIIIIIIIICC!!"_

"Hm hm hmm…" Sonic laughed wickedly under his breath. He released Tails' feet and landed inside the rocky arena. Tails stopped twirling and landed next to him lightly.

Eggman watched the pair nervously, standing stock-still. Sonic glared straight back at him, ready eyes containing a glint of malevolent satisfaction. Tails folded his arms slowly and grinned at the overweight man. The light from the setting sun shined in behind them, as if presenting them to Eggman.

The slightest hint of a grin appeared on the blue blur's face as he took a single step forward and said with a threatening undertone, "Hey, Eggman. What's up?"

**Well, A New Hero Rises is now officially over. I know this last chapter was nothing much, but I wanted it in here. Please review – thanks a lot for reading! Stay loyal readers, the sequel (titled "Beyond the Chaos") will be up soon! I've gotten a start on it and all the chapters are pretty much lined up – I just want to get going in case I decide to change something later. Won't be too long!**

**Once again, thank you – I appreciate the thousands of hits I've gotten on this story, and especially my reviewers (they are listed in no special order, just the order I found them in on the page):**

**Maverick87 (thanks for reading the series for so long)**

**Shelfkid91 (you've probably reviewed this story the most - thanks)**

**Ember Rock**

**sassy**

**Tucker's Mayflower **

**buggy500**

**MarzBunni**

**Karasua**

**Kiara**

**Tails and Cream**

**Tailse**

**Samantha27**

**m&m (unregistered user… still a reviewer!)**

**mmmm (another unregistered user)**

**amethyst the hedgehog**

**Wingless Rain (harsh, but a few useful tips)**

**Blueberry91**

**chatterbaby**

**Very good (unregistered user again)**

**K Twenty Two**

**Raziel777**

**That's all of y'all (no, I don't really have a Southern accent…)! Thanks again and see you soon… D.C.111**


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